180527 AOC Sunday Report

Anglican Orthodox Church

Worldwide Communion

Trinity Sunday

Memorial Day

AOC  Sunday Report

 

Tomorrow is Memorial Day, the day set aside to remember and honor those whose lives bought our freedom and their families who remain behind.  Today is Trinity Sunday, the beginning of the Endless Green Season, the liturgical color is white, thus the green outlined white letters of the title!

 

Bishop’s Letter for Memorial Day Observance 28 May 2018, Anno Domini (in the 242^nd year of our Declaration of Independence)

Bishop’s Memorial Day Devotional Letter

Memorial Day 2018

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them

Volleyed and thundered;

Stormed at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of hell

Rode the six hundred.

Charge of the Light Brigade

Alfred Lord Tennyson (1954)

 

In the days of horse drawn artillery and mounted cavalry, I believe the words of Tennyson in his famous poem above described the epitome of brazen and patriotic courage in the face of almost certain death. There was no question of the logic of the attack into the lines of an enemy of overwhelming numbers fortified behind breastworks of earth, and supported by a formidable array of artillery – only the unquestioned obedience of brave men in the profession of arms compelled them into that embrace of Hell.

 

I often wish that we had a similar poem of comparable grandeur to describe the courage and patriotic valor of our American and Allied forces upon the landing on the beaches of Normandy; or the terror of the Ardennes Forest break-through of German forces supported by the seeming invincible Tiger (Panzer) Tanks; or even the sacrificial courage of Captain William (Bill) Carpenter of the 101^st Airborne Division calling in air strikes on his own position to save his company from an over-running North Vietnam Force. As a result, his courage prevented his unit being encircled by the enemy though at high cost.

 

 

These events are only footnotes of distinction in the annals of American military history. In considering the heroes of combat, we might also remember the four chaplains who gave their own life preservers to men of the USS Dorchester, a transport ship sunk by German U-boats on February 3, 1943 – one Jewish, one Catholic, and two Protestant. We must engrave the memories of such men on the escutcheon and shield of the nation. Many of our best and brightest have passed from this earthly struggle to their reward. They are our stones of remembrance. We have graven their names in our hearts and upon our memorials. Their courage, in holding high the Light of the Liberty, has sustained and encouraged us to continue on the Field of Battle and to forsake not the Ancient Landmark with which the Lord of Hosts has entrusted us. Many of our veterans grow old, but their spirit is not diminished by any loss of hope or valor. They, and those whose passing we memorialize, are the lively stones always before our faces and the Face of our Lord.

 

This Memorial Day, please remember the cost of the civil freedoms we enjoy in a nation whose founding was surely by the Hand of God, a Lord who gave the greatest sacrifice of all for our Freedom – His only Begotten Son.

 

Memorial Day

Rev LTC Hap Arnold, CA ANG USAF Retired

 

Monday is Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember those members of our Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice, without whose sacrifice we would not be free.  This is not a day to thank a veteran, probably it is the only day of the year that it is not the day for that.  All veterans heard the country’s call and answered.  They were not those who would not hear.  But, those of us here today are the fortunate ones, for whatever reason we made it back.   In my case after 30 years and two weeks of military service with the Navy and Air Force, thirty percent of the people I flew with did not make it back one way or the other.  They are the ones we remember today, they paid the entire bill for our freedom.  Well, maybe not all the cost.

 

When we think of Memorial Day, we remember the young men and women who since the beginning of this great nation answered the call of freedom when our country was in peril, rode into battle and did not return.  We honor those who lost their lives in training, transit and combat.  But, we often forget the families they left behind; mothers, fathers, wives and husbands, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters.  Each of them bore a portion of the cost of freedom.  This cost is not a one shot deal.  Those who remain behind pay every day of their time left here on earth.  The cost of freedom is high, very high.  It is just cheaper than not being free.  But, it is payable on demand.

 

If you want to know what freedom costs, ask our Presiding Bishop. Jerry Ogles younger brother Kenneth Wayne Ogles joined the National Guard at age 17 and immediately transferred to the active Army’s First Cavalry Division.  He wanted to make a difference, to do his duty to God and Country and protect the innocent people of South Vietnam.  Ken was killed in action on 16 February 1967, in the Ia Drang Valley, in the Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam, with the First Platoon of C Company, the First Battalion of the 8^th Cavalry, First Cavalry Division at the age of 19.  There is not a day that has gone by in the intervening 51 years that Jerry and his family did not measure the cost of freedom.  Remember Kenneth the next time someone wants you to give a little freedom for the promise of safety or comfort.

 

I do not know how many ways to say it, but FREEDOM IS NOT FREE; it is the most costly commodity on this earth, except for not being free.  That costs more.

 

 

 

Memorial Days[1].

ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; We give thee thanks for all those thy servants who have laid down their lives in the service of our country. Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence, that the good work which thou hast begun in them may be perfected; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.

 

It seems to me that Memorial Day is one of the saddest days of our year.  This is not because of the cost to our country, in particular the families who remain behind, though that cost is huge.  The reason the day so sad is that the people have absolutely no feeling for the cost of the freedom they value so little today.

 

Our country is free today because when our freedom has been threatened by those who would overturn our way of life, patriots stepped forward to take action against our country’s foes.  They put their lives on the line that we might be free.  Tomorrow on Memorial Day, we remember those whose lives were given, whose families paid the price for our freedom today.  They did not give their lives for anything but freedom.  If you ascribe their motives to other motives, you do so at your own peril.

 

Hundreds of thousands have given their future and the futures of their families’ for ours.  Charge your glass, raise it high.  Drink to them.  Give thanks to God for their patriotism and steadfast courage.

 

A final note to each of you veterans reading this report, each of you stepped forward when the country called.  You heard the call others could not.

 

We are the lucky ones, we are here.  We must never forget the cost of freedom, dearly paid by those who have gone before us.

 

To my fellow veterans, I thank each of you for stepping forward and I am grateful you are all here with me to remember.

 

Trinity Sunday

 

Today is Trinity Sunday, the start of the Endless Green Season; the liturgical color is white, but seeing as you cannot really see white print on white screen or paper, we use a green outline!

 

Trinity Joke[2]

Jesus said, “Whom do men say that I am?”

 

And his disciples answered and said, “Some say you are John the Baptist returned from the dead; others say Elias or other of the old prophets.”

 

And Jesus answered and said, “But whom do you say that I am?”

 

Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Logos[3], existing in the Father as His rationality and then, by an act of His will, being generated, in consideration of the various functions by which God is related to his creation, but only on the fact that Scripture speaks of a Father, and a Son, and a Holy Spirit, each member of the Trinity being coequal with every other member, and each acting inseparably with and interpenetrating every other member, with only an economic subordination within God, but causing no division which would make the substance no longer simple.”

 

And Jesus answering, saith, “Say what?”[4]

 

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 some great ones to share.  On to the On Point quotes –

 

All get what they want; they do not always like it.

Jack Lewis

The Magician’s Nephew

 

A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.

Robert A. Heinlein

20^th century American science fiction author

 

Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God?

Psalm 79:10

 

For ye are bought with a price…

I Corinthians 6:20

 

A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take away everything that you have.

Thomas Jefferson

Founding father and third president of the United States

 

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 186-188, with the Collect first:

 

Trinity Sunday.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; We beseech thee that thou wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.

 

The text which serves as this morning’s Epistle comes from the Fourth Chapter of the Revelation of Saint John the Divine beginning at the First Verse.  John attempts to show us the majesty and glory of heaven using words.  The picture he paints is intended to be awe inspiring and seems to meet that goal handily:

 

A

FTER this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind. And the first was like a lion, and the second like a calf, and the third had a face as a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created.

 

Today’s Gospel came from the Third Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint John beginning at the First Verse:

 

T

HERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

 

The Exhortation

While it can be read every time before Holy Communion, three times a year the Exhortation is mandatory; the rubric says: That the Exhortation shall be said on the First Sunday in Advent, the First Sunday in Lent, and Trinity Sunday.   The word exhortation means – an address or communication emphatically urging someone to do something.  In this case, it urges each of us to consider precisely what we are doing when we come forward to receive the bread and wine of Holy Communion.  First, think about the term Holy Communion, that is two words put together.  Holy – Set aside   Communion – Joined together.  Interesting.  We are set aside from the world and joined together with God and our fellow Christians in this sacrament.

 

At this point, we should consider what the Catechism[5] has to say about sacraments:

 

Question     What do you mean by this word Sacrament?

Answer     I mean by this word Sacrament an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us; ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive this grace, and a pledge to assure us thereof.

Question     How many parts are there in a Sacrament?

Answer     There are two parts in a Sacrament; the outward and visible sign, and the inward and spiritual grace.

Question     Why was the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper ordained?

Answer     The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was ordained for the continual remembrance of the sacrifice of the death of Christ, and of the benefits which we receive thereby.

Question     What is the outward part or sign of the Lord’s Supper?

Answer     The outward part or sign of the Lord’s Supper is, Bread and Wine, which the Lord hath commanded to be received.

Question     What is the inward part, or thing signified?

Answer     The inward part, or thing signified, is the Body and Blood of Christ, which are spiritually taken and received by the faithful in the Lord’s Supper.

Question     What are the benefits whereof we are partakers in the Lord’s Supper?

Answer     The benefits whereof we are partakers in the Lord’s Supper are the strengthening and refreshing of our souls by the Body and Blood of Christ, as our bodies are strengthened and refreshed by the Bread and Wine.

Question     What is required of those who come to the Lord’s Supper?

Answer     It is required of those who come to the Lord’s Supper to examine themselves, whether they repent them truly of their former sins, with stedfast purpose to lead a new life; to have a lively faith in God’s mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of his death; and to be in charity with all men.

Now when you read or listen to The Exhortation, you will see it is really nothing more than a fancy regurgitation[6] of the Catechism.

 

THE EXHORTATIONS.

¶     At the time of the Celebration of the Communion, after the prayer for the whole state of Christ’s Church, the Priest may say this Exhortation. And Note, That the Exhortation shall be said on the First Sunday in Advent, the First Sunday in Lent, and Trinity Sunday.

 

D

EARLY beloved in the Lord, ye who mind to come to the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ, must consider how Saint Paul exhorteth all persons diligently to try and examine themselves, before they presume to eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup. For as the benefit is great, if with a true penitent heart and lively faith we receive that holy Sacrament; so is the danger great, if we receive the same unworthily. Judge therefore yourselves, brethren, that ye be not judged of the Lord; repent you truly for your sins past; have a lively and stedfast faith in Christ our Saviour; amend your lives, and be in perfect charity with all men; so shall ye be meet partakers of those holy mysteries. And above all things ye must give most humble and hearty thanks to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, for the redemption of the world by the death and passion of our Saviour Christ, both God and man; who did humble himself, even to the death upon the Cross, for us, miserable sinners, who lay in darkness and the shadow of death; that he might make us the children of God, and exalt us to everlasting life. And to the end that we should always remember the exceeding great love of our Master, and only Saviour, Jesus Christ, thus dying for us, and the innumerable benefits which by his precious blood-shedding he hath obtained for us; he hath instituted and ordained holy mysteries, as pledges of his love, and for a continual remembrance of his death, to our great and endless comfort. To him therefore, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, let us give, as we are most bounden, continual thanks; submitting ourselves wholly to his holy will and pleasure, and studying to serve him in true holiness and righteousness all the days of our life. Amen.

 

Bishop Ogles’ Sermon

We are oft fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes.  Today is one of those Sundays.

 

Sermon Notes

Trinity Sunday

27 May 2018, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 

Trinity Sunday.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; We beseech thee that thou wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.

 

T

here was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: ² The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. ³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? ⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. ⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. ⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? ¹¹ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. ¹² If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? ¹³ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: ¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:1-16)

 

Imagine if we could start life anew from our mother’s womb, but with the sense and wisdom of our accumulated years of the present age! You might remember the illustration of the DROP OF WATER:

 

“There was once a drop of water that found itself puddle in a dirty and unsavory gutter drain.  It was constantly subject to being spat upon and frequented by mosquitoes laying their larvae in the water.  The little drop of water looked everyday up to the beautiful blue skies above and yearend, for once, to be clean and pure, and separated from the filth of the gutter. The yearning of its heart was heard in heaven, and the warmth of the sun began to draw the small droplet up, up, and away from the filth it had always known. Being drawn higher and higher, the air around the droplet was no longer foul and smelly, but clear and pristine. Yet, it was drawn still higher by the force of the sun to levels of colder and colder air. The winds took up the droplet of water and carried it far away where it became a beautiful, white snowflake. It was deposited on the heights of Mt. Everest where its beauty could be seen, mingled with other snowflakes, for many miles around. The droplet of water, transformed by the power of Heaven, had moved from the lowest and dirtiest place, to the highest and most beautiful on earth. That is regeneration, and that is the power of God to make new the soul of man.”

 

If we were drawn up to such a high estate, what good amendments would we make in our lives going forward? Would we still bear a shame of declaring faith in God and His Holy Word at all times and in all places? Or would we be another Nicodemus who, being well versed in the law and prophets, as a Pharisee, but yet approach Christ under cover of darkness? We dare not judge Nicodemus without first repenting of our own failure to stand up openly at many times when we have failed of public courage in the past.

 

Nicodemus thirsted for knowledge of the Holy, but he was also a prominent figure of the ruling Sanhedrin. He had a reputation to mind. He did not wish to make any rash decisions. He had witnessed the amazing miracles and profound words of Jesus at the Temple. Those words touched the heart strings of Nicodemus’ soul. He suspected that there was a depth of meaning in Jesus that he must fathom – even at the risk of being exposed as an admirer. This would, of course, have meant trouble for a man in his position. So Nicodemus came at night to see Jesus. He was drawn to Jesus by the few days he had observed Him, so, he came under cover of darkness. In this respect, he had an opposite character of that of Judas the traitor. Nicodemus had just a limited knowledge of Jesus, yet he was drawn to Him. Judas had a very thorough knowledge of Jesus, yet he betrayed him, instead of being drawn to Christ on that last night of the Supper, Judas betrayed Christ and went away from Him for his treacherous deed at night. He never saw another sunrise. It seems that instead of going out from the light into darkness, Nicodemus came in from the darkness to the Light and departed that place with a new light in his heart. Let’s examine the account from the text:

 

1. “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: ²The same came to Jesus by night”   We see a contrast being drawn in the text between a man of great power, wealth, and learning; and the Lord Jesus Christ who did not have a place to lay His head. Nicodemus was an influential member of the ruling Sanhedrin. Nicodemus was also keen to the politics of the day and did not wish to be exposed as someone who would be an admirer of Chrsit – at least not until he had come to know Him for the Lord that He was. So Nicodemus came under cover of darkness.

 

Earlier in the day, Nicodemus had seen Christ drive out the money changers and those who made merchandise of the House of God. He had heard, that day, His strange but refreshing counsel: Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. (John 2:16) He had heard the profound and beautiful teachings of Christ and seen His miracles. His logical mind could not deny that Jesus had strange powers that could only come from God, unlike those political posers who sat with him of the Sanhedrin.

 

If we desire to know a man better, we must find out where He is and meet Him face to face. Nicodemus obviously had scouted out Christ to know where He was sleeping in Jerusalem that first Passover of Christ’s ministry.

 

 “……… and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.”   Nicodemus has the least seed of faith in his heart, but it was enough to drive him to Christ. He recognized the power of God in Christ and he must settle the issue before the dawning of another day. Though he comes here at night, he later publicly defends Christ in the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-52) and even publicly goes with Joseph of Arimethaea to claim the body of Christ for burial even under threat of retribution from Rome and the Jewish rulers (John 19:39). The one who came by night later became one who feared no one but God. John considers the change in Nicodemus so significant that he always makes reference to Nicodemus in later references as “he who came to Jesus by night.”

 

Jesus is frank in His approach to Nicodemus. He knows the heart of Nicodemus, and He knows that complete transparency and blunt truth is the very thing Nicodemus needs.

 

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Jesus tells Nicodemus what he desperately NEEDS to know, not that which his ears would have been comforted to hear. Nicodemus is considered by many to be a great teacher, yet he calls Christ RABBI., or Teacher. Nicodemus is not too proud to accept the role of student before superior knowledge of a better Teacher. But these words of Christ are simply too amazing for Nicodemus to grasp.

 

             ⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? This is not a frivolous response by Nicodemus. He does not ask WHY, but HOW.  If Jesus were making reference to the Gentiles, Nicodemus could have understood somewhat, but Jesus is speaking to a ruler of the Jews – the presumed people of God! To Nicodemus, it does not make sense, but he trusts in the superior wisdom of Christ to shed light on the matter. Our first longings of faith must be satisfied through deeper inquiry even if we risk ridicule by the world. There are profound mysteries in the Bible, yet many consider themselves so accomplished scholars of the Word that they attempt to explain every mystery and leave nothing to wonder.

 

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  Nicodemus belonged to a religion that based salvation upon a complete obedience to the Law written on Tables of Stone. It was a difficult concept to beleive that his entire previous training had been lacking. Christ points to a change that is alien to Nicodemus’ thinking. There is the story of an owner of a clothing store that decided to clean his main display window. He gathered his cleaning materials and went outside to clean. After working diligently, the window appeared immaculate with the exception of a single troubling blemish high up on the glass. Regardless the efforts and elbow grease used to clean the spot, it remained a glaring flaw in an otherwise clear glass. At last he discovered that the dirty blemish was not on the outside, but the INSIDE of the glass. Regardless our efforts to dress and beautify our persons, we cannot cleanse the heart by dressing the outward appearance with good works. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (Psalm 51:7) God cleans us inside first with the purgative of the Holy Spirit ere making our appearance clean on the outside. If the heart is full of filth, it matters not the outward APPEARANCE.

 

When we lay down this life, we lay down the body of flesh before our parents who gave us our traits and the hereditary features of flesh. We then are drawn in the spirit back to the Father who gave us the Spirit of Life. Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (Eccl 12:6-7)

 

Jesus shares a great mystery with Nicodemus. ⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Does any man have the key to the gate of the wind, to open and close as he deems fit? The Wind is no different in certain aspects than the Holy Spirit. We do not know the source of the wind, but we KNOW it has a source. We can hear the wind if we are quiet and attentive. It literally whispers as that still, small voice of God. (1 Kings 19:12) We cannot say its direction or where it is going.  The Wind is unseen just as the Holy Spirit is unseen. We see its effects, but not its essence. Those who are born of God have been touched by that Wind of the Holy Spirit. Their change is complete and not prideful in display. Moreover, the sails of their souls are propelled by that Wind throughout their walk in Christ.

 

Can you imagine Nicodemus’ eyes squinting in effort to understand this strange new doctrine? . ⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things

 

Nicodemus is very much like many who are educated in theology and who press a point of an olive until it becomes a watermelon. He is well educated but, unfortunately, in things that are not real. Jesus points out his ignorance to him. Many prominent theologians of our day lack the simple wisdom of a poor farmer who knows the Lord. This was Nicodemus’ problem, but he is open to amendment in understanding. I wish we all were.

 

¹¹ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. ¹² If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? Jesus places His evidence before the bar. He taught often in parables so that the simple farmer or fisherman could grasp greater spiritual truth when illustrated by earthly logic. But those educated too much in ‘theological error’ may not be able to grasp the simplicity of the Gospel which a child can easily grasp. It is not faith and knowledge that saves us, but ‘faith in Christ’ and right knowledge of Him. We may know the print in a thousand theological works, but if we lack the nature of a little child in faith, we are lost.

 

¹³ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. Despite the delusional dreams and copyrighted commercial works of many today, no one has ascended to heaven or come down but Christ.

 

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: ¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. God sent fiery serpents among the Children of Israel in the Wilderness for their sins. When they pleaded for relief, God told Moses to erect a brass serpent on a pole for all to look unto when bitten that they might live.  The serpent represented our sins that are crucified on the cross with Christ. Looking to the sacrifice of Christ, for our own sins, we are saved from eternal death. (Numbers 21:6-9) We have the same symbolized in the medical kadusa today.

 

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life Do not be deceived by modern versions of the Bible such as the NIV. Jesus Christ is the literal ISSUE of the Father. He is God because He is of the same substance with God. Not a son or daughter through the adoption that we are, but the true and issuing Son of the Father – the only Begotten, not One and Only! As a great iron magnet draws only metal of like properties, so does Christ draw those whose souls are the malleable substance that God has created in them to respond to the pull of the Magnet.

 

 

 

Sermon – Reverend Hap Arnold – Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion – Descanso, California

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

 

Today’s sermon covers the basic concept of the Triune God, that is the Father, Son and Holy Ghost and how they were introduced to us through time and the Bible in particular; it draws the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.  .

 

Consider these words from the Collect:

 

… acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity …

 

In the Collect, we acknowledge there is a Triune God, that is to say there are three aspects of God; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.  A Triune God means literally Three in One, not three separate Gods or godlets, but a single being with three aspects.  How does this work?

 

The honest answer is – WE DON’T KNOW.  We have not been told of how this Being operates. We just have been told that there are three and They are ONE.  We have some knowledge and scriptural guidance on how parts of the thing work, but not all.  Saint Paul told the people of Corinth, 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (1 Corinthians 13:12) One of the basic principles of classified information is that it is only to be revealed to those who have an actual NEED TO KNOW, not just the curious.  Like many secrets, we don’t really have a need to know, so we have not been told.

 

We know:

 

• God is I AM;
• God the Father sent The Son to be our Savior, He was there at the beginning and created this world;
• The Holy Ghost breathed life into the world, and brings understanding, comfort, strength, perseverance, courage, inspiration, patience;
• They all have always been and always will be.

 

That is what we know; it leaves a lot we don’t know, but we can certainly be kept busy with what we do know.  That must be enough for the here and now. It is enough for us to operate on His Word with our simple and limited understanding of the Trinity. We must be content with what we read in Scripture, all the other stuff we wonder about Him is just extraneous details, like how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?  So much theological discussion is captured in that term.  So, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?  Whatever the number, the answer from our standpoint is so very simple, As many as God determines the circumstances require.  Note, as God requires!  Not you, not me.  God.  Trying to think about those detailed details that we do not know or understand only serves as a distraction from following God and doing what He asks. He does not want us to speculate on how the Three in One concept works, but rather just understand it is and go forth and follow Him to the best of our abilities.

 

We must put aside the thoughts of who and what God is, and just understand He is I AM, there is God, there is the Son, there is the Holy Ghost and they all work together in their own way to be the one God of our faith. There is a reason for this even though we don’t know it, but it works out, so we do not have to wonder how it works, we just continue believing and acting!

 

But, what of later?  If we have eternal life, we have it now and later.  What comes later?  Heaven.  What is heaven?  John attempts to tell us.  He attempts to show us the majesty and glory of heaven using words.  The picture he paints is intended to be awe inspiring and seems to meet that goal handily.  The main thing we can be certain of is that we will not be disappointed.  We speculate as to will this or that be in heaven?  When we get there, the answer will manifest itself and you will have no regrets.  John’s description is to tell us heaven will easily surpass all of our expectations. He is trying to convey Heaven is a destination truly worth our earthly toils. In heaven, there is no disappointment.  Heaven is the real world, where things are bright, not dull and dark as though looking through a glass.  Rest assured, we will see for ourselves what it is like one day, all we need to know is that it is a really wonderful place we should be aiming to go to when we die, through our belief and actions here on earth working together!

 

So, how do we get to the real world from these Shadowlands?  There is but one way, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the Propitiation for our sins.[7]

 

Do not be fooled by “fair”, there is only one way into heaven.  That door is at the end of a long and narrow trail, steeply inclined upward with many seemingly easy, smooth, beautiful and interesting branches leading downward into the pit.  Doing good is good, so to speak; doing good without God is not good enough.  Only being accounted perfect will get you up the path and in the door.

 

We need help!  Lots of help.  The first thing we need in our hearts is a new heart, a new and contrite heart.  This is what Jesus was telling Nicodemus in the Gospel. He was explaining how we need a new heart in order to continue to serve God.  The Pharisees could not or would not see that their hearts were not good enough on their own to serve Him, as ours are not if they are not regenerated. That is really hard, in fact, it is so hard it cannot be done by ourselves.  We need something.  A new start.

 

We must be born of the spirit!  What spirit?

 

The Holy Ghost.  We must accept we in and of ourselves will never be perfect.  Our hearts as they are will not lead us towards God, but away from God unless we have the help of the Holy Ghost! No one gets in to heaven unless they are accounted as perfect.  We will never be perfect in and of ourselves.  Should we quit trying?  No!  We are commanded to follow our Christ.  Will we fail?  Without question.  What is the solution?  To believe and follow the Christ.  To open our hearts to the Holy Ghost that we might believe in full and accept the help from the Christ that our imperfection needs to be His followers.

 

To follow God, we need Christ as our leader and the Holy Ghost as our compass. In short, we need all members of the Trinity’s influence in our lives if we are to arrive in the real world, that of Heaven.

 

There is but one way to heaven.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

It is by our actions we are known.

 

Be of God – Live of God – Act of God

 

Roy Morales-Kuhn, Bishop and Pastor – St. Paul’s Anglican Church – Anglican Orthodox Church

Bishop Roy is pastor of the biggest AOC parish West of the Mississippi and is in charge of the Diocese of the Epiphany, as well as Central and South America.

 

Trinity Sunday

27 May 2018

John 1: 1 – 18 • 1 Peter 1: 1 – 12

 

Three in One

 

Trinity Sunday.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; We beseech thee that thou wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.

 

Do you know that the word “trinity” is not found anywhere in the Bible?  The word will be fashioned by the early Church fathers, the scholars who help to codify and put together church doctrine that we have today.

 

The doctrine or concept of trinity comes from the Word of God.  We find that throughout scripture there are references to God where the word is in plural.  We find in the second passage of scripture today, three parts of One God are identified.

 

We set aside this Sunday in the Church year to point to this aspect of God.  As humans we are very confused and are not able to wrap our mind around this concept; one in three; three in one. In our words we are so limited, our experiences and our senses are so limited that we are some time driven to distraction trying to figure out Trinity.  We have dozens of religious groups who having failed to satisfactorily explained Trinity, come up with new expressions or explanations of the same.   Outright denial, tricky explanations, and direct heresy are the usual results.

 

Our evidence for Trinity comes from many passages in the Word of God.  We see in the St. John 1:1 – 18 passage, that God and Jesus are referred to as creator. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

 

That Jesus was with God and was God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 

This passage is so disturbing, we have a major religious group who just retranslate this passage.  They use a poorly translated version of the Bible, translated by one fellow, to prove that the John 1:1 passage is flawed.   There is only one problem with that.  All true biblical scholars have translated that passage the way you have it in your Bible today.  Thousands of scholars over some 1900 years have translated that passage from the Greek or Aramaic as we read it today.

 

It is interesting that this season of the Church year is the longest.  Trinity and the Sundays that follow will be observed all the way until the Sunday just before the first Sunday in Advent, which can occur the last Sunday in November or the first Sunday in December.  We have many passages available from the Word of God over this long season where we can reflect on the concept of Trinity, the meaning of God in our lives, and a general period of spiritual feeding without the hustle and bustle of major activities in the way.

 

Over the years I have been asked “Why should we worry about doctrine ?”  Shouldn’t we have as our motto….’no creed but Christ ?’    To which I ask, which Christ ?   I am not trying to be contentious, but that is a legitimate question.  Why?  Because you can ask many people who call themselves Christian who do you think Jesus Christ is?  And you will get at least a half dozen answers in reply.   If you don’t know or have a true meaning of who Christ said He was, how can you believe in no creed but Christ.  There are some religious groups in our areas who say that Christ is the brother of Lucifer the Angel of Light…in other words Christ is the brother of Satan. Another group says that Christ is the brother of Michael the Archangel, which again puts Christ in the category of being created, not being forever.   If our God is not eternal then that means something else created our God, or as the sociologist like to say, man created God.  When we see how history has treated the Creator, especially in the hands of pagan scholars, you can understand the need for some type of outline of belief for the average Christian.  “If you believe in nothing, you’ll fall for anything.”   It is important to have a strong biblically based belief system.

 

There is one other lesson we can learn from today’s scripture passage.  Notice Verse 12 in 1 Peter 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. The very last sentence.   Even angels long to look into these things.

 

That means that angels know the past but not the future, unless it has been revealed to them, just like humans.  They want to know what the prophets were writing about, “longing to look into these things”   Which brings us to an interesting point.   Satan is the Angel of Light, he and a third of the angels were thrown out of heaven at one time in prehistory.  As the book of Job describes him, he walks about looking for whom to devour.   So Satan does exist, but here is the most wonderful part about his lack of power.  He knows that he is defeated, he knew that when the stone was rolled away and Christ rose again from the dead.   So Satan is trying his best to befoul and befuddle us “….though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials”  7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

 

But most importantly, Satan does not know the entire future, he is an angel, and so there for must have the future revealed to him just like us.   Many times people have ascribed power to Satan that he does not have, he only knows that he is defeated.  The future must be revealed to him just like us as we see according to the last sentence in Verse 12.

 

As we enter this period of the church year, let us reflect on the many blessings and gifts that God has given us.  Let us dwell on the Word of God, the Bible.  Let us gather together to worship him and praise him at least once a week.  Let us give God the glory.

 

Let us pray.

 

W

e implore Thy blessing on all the parishes and missions of this diocese. Grant to them all things needful for their spiritual welfare. Strengthen and confirm the faithful; visit and relieve the sick; turn and soften the wicked; rouse the careless; recover the fallen; restore the penitent; remove all hindrances to the advancement of Thy truth; bring all to be of one heart and mind within the fold of Thy holy Church, to the honor and glory of Thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, One God, world without end. Amen.

 

T

he God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.    Amen.

 

T

HE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.

✟

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, espouse the truth and live the truth.    This is really a good piece and I commend it to your careful reading.

 

Trinity Sunday

 

In Revelation 4:1 we are told of God’s open door in heaven which the apostle John was permitted to enter and to record what he saw there. In the preceding chapter, our Lord supplied the apostle with some important details regarding his “open door”when he said, And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast  not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth (3:7-10).

 

Those words have been a source comfort for Christians across the ages. Our Lord’s open door is the sole passageway to his kingdom through which he will one day summon us (John 10:9). He may use the words of our epistle lesson to the apostle John— Come up hither— or he may use something else. Regardless, if we are his, we will hear and heed his voice (John 10:27).

 

Consider the words of the apostle Paul in his first epistle to the Thessalonians: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words (4:16-18).

 

Consider also the words of our Lord as found in St. Luke 21:36 where he called on the disciples to, Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. The aforementioned passage is found at the end of the Olivet Discourse as recorded by the “beloved physician.” The Olivet Discourse concerns the end times prior to and including the return of our Lord Jesus Christ to the earth.

 

Nevertheless, I have read the words of those who would have the faithful overlook the previously mentioned passages. I have also heard the words of those who say a fundamentalist understanding of Christ’s open door will deflate the faith of many because they might experience trial and tribulation and think God did not love them enough to relieve them of such a condition. Perhaps that may be true for some, but certainly not for those who have been born again of the Spirit.

 

Those of us who have been born-again understand that God may walk us through the valley and the shadow of death at any time, as well as any number of times. We are soldiers in Christ’s army. And with that in mind, we must daily prepare ourselves for duty by being armored and weaponed accordingly. Our Lord and Master has issued orders that we guard against evil all-the-while watching and praying for his return. Early Christians used to say of our Lord’s return, “Perhaps today” and so should we.

 

While it is true our Lord said, But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only (Matthew 24:36), nevertheless we have been commanded by him to, Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (Matthew 24:42). The world will seek to distract us from watching for our Lord’s return. The flesh will encourage us to focus more on ourselves than on our duties to God. And the devil will tempt us with every sort of passion and idol in order to impair or break our fellowship with the Godhead.

 

Our Lord said that he will keep us from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth (Revelation 3:10) which was clarified by the apostle Paul who penned the following: Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed (II Thessalonians 2:1-3). In both readings the Holy Ghost imparted words of comfort and encouragement to the faithful that they might continue to persevere in spite of the evils around them, and in spite of their witnessing neighbors, friends and family falling into apostasy.

 

Continuing with his second epistle to the Thessalonians, St. Paul reminded his readers about the restraining influence of the Holy Ghost. And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth with let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked by revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth , and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming (2:6-8). God will remove his Spirit opening the way for the son of perdition to be made manifest. So it follows that if we bear the Spirit of the Living God, we will also be taken out of the way for as the apostle Paul so noted in I Thessalonians 5:9, For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Now a caveat is in order at this juncture. Do not construe these passages to mean that we will not experience trouble, trials and temptations because we will until our Lord calls us home. Still, in spite of all that the devil will throw at us, we can count on our Lord’s promise that he will not suffer us to pass out of his hand, out of his fold, out of his coming kingdom. We are his. He has saved us.

 

While we will face temptations and trials, St. Paul pointed out that, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it (I Corinthians 10:13). God has plans for us, and they do not include our being run over by Satan’s minions in these last days. The Church— the body of true believers— cannot be prevailed against.

 

As followers of Christ we believe that God will do as he has promised. No cry of anguish by his people will be ignored, and no injustice to his own will be given a pass. The might, power and majesty of the Godhead will be made known and his own shall be provided for. Make it your prayer today to seek his will for you and then live according to his word and commandment watching and occupying till he comes for us.

 

Let us pray,

 

F

ather, as you have set before us an open door, grant us courage to continue our journey toward the same; for this we ask in Christ’s most holy name. Amen.

 

Have a blessed week, Bryan+

 

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 our happy duty 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 are now in Virginia on what was to be a headquarters tour.  Pray for peace of mind for Kurt and for Mary and the kids.

 

Immediate Prayer Please

LTC Jay Houston a very confident Christian, particular friend and one of Hap’s favorite WSOs had a biopsy the morning of 9 May 2018 for an apparently major lung issue that has been going on for some time.  The biopsy was successful and Jay is awaiting the results.  Please give thanks for the surgical team paying attention.  Pray also for peace of mind for Jay and his family, as well as a favorable result.

 

Ken Harris lost his wife Carol in December after many many years of happy marriage and is really lost and unable to regain his place here on earth.  Please pray that he will be able to adjust to her passing and concentrate on those things which he needs to do in order to be an effective and useful member of society here and now.  He has much left to do here and right now, he just cannot see his way clear to doing those things.  Please pray he will look to God for solace and help at this time of need.

 

Evelyn, an 88 year young woman recently experienced a TIA affecting her sight, speech and walking.  Please pray for God to guide those treating her and for her to let God carry her worry.

 

Tricia broke her left arm and it seems to be recovering slowly.  Please pray God will enter in to her, help her to regain range of motion in her arm so that she will not require surgery.  She would appreciate your prayers for healing and patience.

 

Chelsea Brown has need of God’s strength and guidance for her, her daughter Lauren and those around her.  Her life has been in turmoil for the past two years.  Chelsea was in an accident which left her without the use of her right arm for almost two years, though after two surgeries it is back, her daughter has had three sets of lung blood clots, dropped out of college and lost her job and car due to another accident.  Things are very bad for them, they need housing as they are about to be evicted from their current apartment.  Please pray that God will give them the direction and strength they need and that the government officials in Raleigh will see clear to provide housing.

 

Ron Cole Klages is a patriotic former Marine who has debilitating blood clots pursuant to cancerous growths on his liver and unknown other places.  Please pray for the medical team treating Ron that they might pay attention, do their very best and be open to God’s guidance.

 

Jill was on life support; her family members traveled a great distance to see her and returned home safely.  Jill’s condition improved to critical, but needs your prayers to continue her recovery.

 

Samson Hendrik has prostate cancer and his kidneys are not working. Pray our Lord Jesus Christ will be close to him and his family of friends during this illness.

 

Departed

Brent, brother Tommy groundskeeper for the AOC National office, left for home on 24 April 2018.  Please give thanks for a safe passage to his real home in Heaven and for trust in our Lord and comfort for his family and friends who of necessity remain behind, in particular his three children.

 

Claudia Jean Ryan left for home early the morning of 23 March 2018, after a short and hard battle with cancer which began on 2 January 2018.  Claudia and her husband Al, an Anglican Deacon, have great faith, strong will and trust in the Lord.  They ask you give thanks for her time here on earth and a safe passage from the Shadowlands to home.  Pray for comfort and strength for her family who of necessity remain behind.

 

 

Nearing the end of their time here on earth

Amos Dweh the Bishop of Liberia is critically ill.  He is a long standing minister of the Anglican Orthodox Church and preparing to meet the Lord. Please pray for comfort for his family and especially his son Benjamin. This picture was taken when he was in Statesville at St. Peter’s Anglican Church the church of the AOC National office after he was consecrated as a Bishop.

 

In need of a miracle or understanding of God’s Plan

Doug Lambert has been battling sepsis of unknown origin.  For twelve weeks they have not been able to find the source of the problem.  He is very weak and concerned that no one can find the reason for the infection.  He asks that you pray for the medical team treating him to do their best, to be open to God’s guidance and for him to keep his trust in the Lord and not worry.

 

Neal has heart problems and is very weak, he also has COPD, kidney problems, his potassium is too high, he came back from the point of death.  He is now home and permanently on oxygen.  He is doing well, for that he and his family are grateful and ask your thanksgiving prayers.  More importantly, please pray Neal will accept salvation through our Lord and Savior.

 

Paul is in hospice and ready to meet His Lord.  Please pray for Paul as he prepares to go home to be with his family who have gone before him.  Pray for the faith of his family to build and the transition to be good.

 

Dot is an elderly woman with liver cancer.  Please pray for Dot 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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Ron had a Heart Attack, at the hospital he found out he also has Kidney Cancer.  He is a man of faith and is in need of prayer for his health and that the Lord will provide strength for his family.

 

Kathy Cox Merritt has been receiving Chemo and 12 November 2016, had bowel resection surgery and was given a very bad prognosis.  Kathy just retired as an RN in Orthopedics at a local hospital; sometimes a little medical knowledge can be dangerous to the patient but she remains positive. Please pray for Kathy’s healing and peace and comfort for her and her family, both spiritually and physical

 

Krysti is off life support and able to talk, please give thanks for the good news.  She is still unable to feel her legs. When that comes back she will go to a rehabilitation facility.  Krysti has used drugs, has high blood pressure, is diabetic and has organ failure. Her families are with her and will appreciate your prayers.

 

Pat has metastatic osteosarcoma; 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.

 

Janet has had a blood borne cancer for several years.  Her faith in the Lord is great and she 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 hon 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.

 

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 some time.  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.

 

Homebound or Infirm

Loretta Walker is aging and losing some of her mental acuity, and thus independence, she is also plagued by diabetes and loves sweets.  She is understandably vexed with this.  She and her family ask you to pray God will help keep her mind and body together and that she not be mean or bait those who care most for her.

 

Sarah had to move to an Assisted Living Home and has found the adjustment very difficult. Please pray she will come to terms with the situation and that her Lord Jesus will be close to her.  She recently lost 30 pounds and her eyesight is deteriorating.  Pray her appetite will improve and her eyesight will return to normal. Most of all, please pray our Lord Jesus Christ will be close to her at this difficult time.

 

Larry H has general weakness as the result of extreme fatigue.  Larry is now up and about, walking without assistance.  The depression is still a part of his life.  Due to several chronic illnesses, he will never be able to live on his own.  On the other hand, he has been transferred to a facility near his former home so he will be nearer his friends.  Larry has difficulty with the lack of what he considers fairness in the Word.  Please pray for help for Larry to put his trust in the Lord, relax and build strength and give Pastor Roy guidance on helping him.

 

Laurel Bessessen (95) has begun to lose her mental abilities to recall people, places and things around her.  Her family is no longer able to care for her at home and she is in a skilled care facility.  She is the last of that family’s generation.  Please pray for the mental degradation to stop or for her to leave for home.  Pray for her family who do their best to care for her, visiting every day; for her children Cookie, John and Bill, as well as the other members of the family.

 

Judith Clingwall is afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).  She is currently in Laurel Place, an extended care facility in Surrey, British Columbia. Please pray for 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.

 

John has Alzheimer’s pray he will call on God to help him as he deals with this.

 

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.

 

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

Maria Carla is going to the hospital for corrective surgery. Pray our Lord Jesus Christ will be close to her as she has this operation. Pray for her father who will be taking her a long distance for the operation.

 

Marcia has had a biopsy 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 be 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.

 

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

Bryan Alford (~40) has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma and seeking treatment.

 

April and her husband ask you prayers for the Lord to guide them and lead them both to the correct medical care; and that the family may receive comfort in the process.

 

Michael Moriarty has been diagnosed with upper duodenal cancer which is the upper section of the small intestine.  It is fairly rare and they have not decided how to treat him.  Pray with Michael, his family and friends that the medical insurance people will fulfill their obligations and the physicians treating him will be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for continued trust in the Lord for Michael, his family and friends in this worrisome time.

 

Chloe Mayo, granddaughter of Justice Roy and Kayla Moore, good friends of Bishop Jerry, suffered a serious kidney attack possibly resulting from strep. Pray her family and friends the physicians treating her will be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for continued trust in the Lord for Chloe, her family and friends in this worrisome time.

 

Josh has two little children and just discovered he has a rare form of Cancer. Please keep him and his family in your prayers in the days ahead.

 

Ross an elderly gentleman has been diagnosed with Leukemia. Ross has had good health until now, your prayers at this time will be appreciated by his family and friends.

 

Carman was just diagnosed with breast cancer. Pray for her family as they continue to help her get the proper care.  Pray with Carman, her family and friends that the physicians treating her will be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for continued trust in the Lord for Carman, her family and friends in this worrisome time.

 

Kathie Lynn Holter sister of Rev Phil Ternahan, was just diagnosed with Stage Four lung cancer (never smoked) which spread to the brain. She was operated on 26 June 2016.  Please pray with Kathie, her family and friends that the physicians treating her will be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for continued trust in the Lord for Kathie, her family and friends in this worrisome time.

 

Tina just found out she has cancer on her left kidney. Please pray for guidance for the people treating her and for trust in our Lord for Tina and her family.

 

Martha is now home after testing and she does not have cancer, but she does have bad kidneys and is adjusting and getting ideas to work with that. Please pray for guidance for the people treating her and for trust in our Lord for her.

 

Spencer has been diagnosed with Autism.  Please pray for guidance for the people treating him and for trust in our Lord for him and his mother Lorna.

 

Michael has cancer of the blood and is starting chemotherapy.  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 Michael.

 

Clay has a large gallstone; he is in poor health and not currently a surgical candidate.  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 Clay.

 

Jim Sevier has been in the hospital for heart related troubles.  Please pray with Jim and his family the physicians treating him 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 Jim and his family in this worrisome time.

 

Claude has been falling and he does not know why. Pray doctors will discover what the problem is and he can continue without any more difficulties.

 

Gretchen has been diagnosed with severe osteoporosis and is now being treated with exercise, nutrition and vitamins.  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.

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Barbara Apple is bedridden after a fall which left her with two paralyzed limbs. She continues to experience pain in the effected limbs and will be totally bed bound for the remainder of her life. Your continuing prayers for her are appreciated and are great comfort to her. 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 miraculous full and rapid recovery. Also, please continue to pray for her husband Bob who is her sole caregiver that he will be comforted and strengthened in his time of need.

 

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, age 7, 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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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 is having surgery on 30 September 2016 to repair a hole in his aorta bleeding into the abdomen which caused stroke like symptoms.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

Jim Simmons’ Hodgkin’s disease has returned after 24 years. He hopes to get through this as he did before.  Jim would appreciate your prayers for the medical team treating him; please pray for the doctors, nurses and technicians treating him to pay attention, to be open to God’s guidance and do their very best. Pray for trust in our Lord and peace of mind for Jim and his family.

 

Kurt Thomas asks for your continued prayer that his body not reject his transplanted heart parts  Pray also for Kurt to accept what he cannot do at present and concentrate on what he can do.  This is a very foreign situation for this Christian warrior.  He needs God’s help to adapt and prosper.

 

Vladia had a right knee replacement which went well, but since the operation she is experiencing very painful side effects from medicine, very low hemoglobin and also back problems.  She has been transferred back to the hospital to help correct these problems.  Please pray the doctors will seek God’s Wisdom and come up with a plan to help her get back on her feet and have some normalcy in her life.

 

Madisun Hanks (14) has Tourette’s Syndrome and suffers from horrible migraine headaches.  There are various very high risk treatments which provide some relief.  None of them are close and none are easy.  Madisun is truly one of the most inspiring young ladies we have ever come across, her attitude and actions are almost unbelievable.  No one should have to go through what she does, but she makes it through and performs incredibly when others just get by.  Please pray for Madisun, her mom Hilda who guides her through all this and those treating her.

 

Linda has a melanoma just forming and she needs to have it removed.  She has had severe medical problems the last 15 years and needs help coping. Pray for all of her family at this time as new problems have come to light.

 

Chris Hill (close friend of Jon Weston) suffered a brain aneurysm and needs your prayers. He came out of a coma he had been in since the week before Christmas 2016.  He is now in a stepdown facility. Every day is a new day to him; his memory seems to have been damaged to a point where it is not recovering so far.   Pray for the doctors, nurses and technicians treating him to pay attention, to be open to God’s guidance and do their very best. Pray for trust in our Lord and peace of mind for Chris and his family.

 

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.

 

Jon has Stage 4 mantle cell lymphoma. There is good news in that he is in remission; however the chemotherapy is producing neuropathy in  his legs so 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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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 choose 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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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, she is 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.

 

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.

 

Kay Denton (Mrs. Kay) was able to get a hip replacement in spite of her heart and kidney problems and is recovering remarkably!  Please give thanks for this great event and result!  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.

 

Healing and Patience

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

Bruce Arnold was hospitalized with Atrial Fibrillation and an enlarged heart.  He has had his heart stopped and re-started twice, as well as a temporary boost pump installed and removed.  He made it through all that and is now home and doing amazingly well.  Please give thanksgiving for that.  There is still more to go.  Please pray for guidance for the medical team treating him that they might find a complete solution to his heart problems.  Pray for peace of mind for Bruce, his wife Milly and his children Megan, Kikki and Bruce, Jr.

 

Shamu underwent surgery at John Hopkins hospital 19 March 2018,  where they found  a stricture in her lower intestine and relieved it.  Please pray this will be effectual in relieving her suffering.  She is also having trouble retaining nourishment and hydration, pray a solution will be developed for this problem also.  Please pray particularly she will retain her trust in God and her family will follow suit.

 

Chief Mike Wysocki finally had heart valve surgery June 2017.  He was back in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer, but made it home.  Please give thanks for that and pray for the medical team treating Mike that they might pay attention, do their very best and be open to God’s guidance.  Pray a complete recovery and peace of mind and trust in God for Mike, his lovely wife Wendy and his family.

 

John Young had three way heart bypass surgery on Thursday, 23 March 2017, in Alabama, which was apparently successful, then had a stroke in October while undergoing testing for his FAA medical.  He has lost his right side peripheral vision.  Please for a recovery of John’s vision.

 

Bill had surgery November 2016 for a kidney tumor; he is one kidney short, but recovering very well for the present.  It appears the cancer has spread to another spot.  Please pray for Bill as he undergoes chemotherapy and perhaps other treatment.  Pray Bill and his family will stay strong in their faith and draw the strength they need from our Lord.

 

Anita had surgery on 4 November 2016 to remove what they thought were five tumors in her right lung, but turned out to be eight. They removed all eight. In addition, her lung was folded from her previous coil embolization. They removed the coils, unfolding her lower right lobe and oversewed the area. In reality she may come away with increased lung capacity. Anita, her husband Michael and family express for the power of your continued prayers and expressions of love. Please join them in giving thanks for God’s Grace and pray for her continued healing.

 

Bob Reisor had surgery on 19 September 2016 for a kidney tumor; he is one kidney short, but recovering very well for the present.  The cancer has spread to his lung and another spot.  Five years ago there was no treatment, but now it appears there is an oral medication that has shown great effectiveness on this particular cancer.  As of 12 January 2017, the main spot shrank from 3.3 cm (1 1/3 inch) to 2.2 cm (7/8 inch) and the spots on his lungs have receded even more.  And as of 22 June 2017, they have shrunk further.   Please give thanks to the Lord for such wonderful progress.  Please pray for Bob as he undergoes chemotherapy and perhaps other treatment.  Pray he and his family will be drawn closer to our Lord.

 

Shamu had surgery on 12 May 2017, her seventeenth, to reconstruct the damage done her by Walter Reed Medical Center.  She now has a bacterial infection which is laying her low. Please pray for strength; physical, mental and spiritual for her.  Pray for guidance for the new medical team treating her and for her to know how to proceed with regard to the damage done her by Walter Reed Medical Center.  Pray also for her to continue her trust in our Lord as she goes through this difficult time.

 

Atina has skin cancer, which is now in remission.  Please give thanks for the remission, pray for continued remission of the cancer; pray also for continued faith for Atina and her family.

 

Cindy (81) had an operation to remove a cancerous growth in her stomach which was successful.  She is now home, but in a bit of pain.  Please give thanks for the good result, pray for full and complete healing and remission of the cancer, as well as cessation of the pain; pray also for continued faith for Cindy and her husband Les (91).

 

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.

 

Janet Jessup had a stroke and heart problems were causing huge issues for her.  They seem to have gotten her stabilized and she is home. 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 45 years, Rev Roger Jessup, retired minister of Saint Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Orthodox Church.

 

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.

 

Elma is suffering from cancer.  She was taken home from the hospital on the advice of her Doctor.  We were asked to pray Elma’s remaining time here on earth might be good and 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

James and Sarah who have recently moved to a new area and have new positions in employment. They are finding much stress in the new surroundings and will appreciate your prayers as they adjust.

 

Financial Guidance and Employment

Kona is applying for a job in the hospital. Pray our Lord will find the right position for her and she will glorify Him in the work.

 

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 gidan ce in considering all aspects of her potential work.

 

 

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.

 

God’s Strength and Peace of Soul

 Roger is the caretaker for his ailing father who has been in the hospital for a week and his wife who had been declining emotionally, cognitively and in bodily health.  He asks you pray for strength and peace for him and help for those he cares for.

 

Charlie McCormack asks your prayer the Holy Ghost might fill his heart with light and drive the darkness far away.

 

Guidance

Zachary is having huge problems growing up.  He has let the wrong people guide his life and thinks he is the smartest person in the world.  He cannot or will not see the destructive power of drugs and lies in his life.  Pray his parents Lee and Shamu will come to see what course of action that they can take to help Zachary and safeguard his brother and sister.  Please pray for God’s guidance for all of them and in particular for Zachary to open his heart to God and his parents help.

 

Judy seemingly does not want to allow the Holy Ghost into her heart so she might come to know our Lord and Savior, despite the efforts of her family.  Please pray for her to open her heat and for her family to be at peace with their efforts.

 

Barbara has been recovering from cancer for the last three years. Pray for her husband Bill who has come down with a mental illness that may have been caused by much stress the last few years. Barbara and Bill will appreciate your prayers.

 

Larry is very weak and has periods of confusion and depression. Larry has been in the hospital and recently moved to a rehab. Please keep him in prayer as he begins to gain strength in the days ahead.

 

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.

 

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 has yet to come to grips with the demons chasing him.  Pray he will return to the Lord and his family.  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.

 

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 she will be able to let God carry her worry and sorrow so she can do the things she must do.

 

Elizabeth needs your prayers for her general well being.   Pray she might see the Light of the Lord and let Him guide her life.

 

Gunner need your prayers for his general well being.   Pray he might see the Light of the Lord and let Him guide his life.

 

 

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.

 

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 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.

 

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.

 

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

Madagascar

Please pray for the people in Madagascar, in particular for the members of the Anglican Orthodox Church there, who are being subjected to terrible flooding and unceasing rain.

 

Indonesia

Please pray for the Lord’s will regarding the establishment of an AOC church in Indonesia.

 

Pakistan

General and Ongoing – The forces of evil are strong in Pakistan.  The force of God stronger.  Pray for our Christian family there.

Ernest Jacob

Presiding Bishop Pakistan

Congo

Jimmy is a missionary in the Congo. There has been violent unrest in this country and also a water shortage. Please pray people will find water to drink and Jimmy will be a means of helping others to find the Lord.

 

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.

 

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 – Stateside), Kristyna and Luis Aviles (Army – Fort Lewis, Washington), Airman Donny Patton (USAF – Hulbert Field, Florida), Jordan Brown (USMC – Recruiter – Iowa City, Iowa), Trevor Jennings (USAF – KC-10 Boom Operator – McGuire AFB, NJ), Trevor Di Marco (USN – Whidbey Island, EF-18 Pilot), Kurt Thomas (USN – Virginia), Ethan (US Army Airborne – Southwest Asia)

 

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

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 in need of God’s guidance to 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.

 

Jim and Mary Lou’s grandson Pearce, who is entered college 22 August 2107.

 

A good, happy and productive year for our Jim and Mary Lou’s grandson Colin who is completing his Junior Year in High School.

 

Jim and Mary Lou’s granddaughter Lucy, who is in second grade for gifted children.  Pray it will be the challenge she needs and she will also mature socially.

 

Thanksgiving

Tuck and Robie Arnold give thanks for safe travel to Italy with Robie’s mother Georgina and niece Tammy and friend Eileen.

 

The near future, as well as Next Sunday

 

3 June 2018 –First Sunday after Trinity – 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

 

[1] From the Book of Common Prayer page 42

[2] Courtesy of the Rev. Munachi Ezeogu

[3] The Gospel of John identifies the Logos, through which all things are made, as divine (theos), and further identifies Jesus as the incarnation of the Logos. As the Logos, Jesus Christ is God in self-revelation (Light) and redemption (Life). He is God to the extent that he can be present to man and knowable to man. The Logos is God,[Jn 1:1] … Yet the Logos is in some sense distinguishable from God, for “the Logos was with God.”[Jn 1:1] God and the Logos are not two beings, and yet they are also not simply identical. … The Logos is God active in creation, revelation, and redemption. – Frank Stagg

[4] Did you ever wonder what difference the translation makes?  Consider while “the Word was God” is by far the most common English translation, non-Trinitarian groups such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses (in the New World Translation and their edition of the Emphatic Diaglott and Unitarians (in Thomas Belsham’s modification of William Newcome’s version) translate “the Word was a god.”

[5] Catechism – a series of fixed questions, answers, or precepts used for instruction in other situations.

[6] This is Rev Jack Arnold’s term for summarizing, rearranging and expounding on the underlying text; kind of a descriptive and interesting way of putting it!

[7] 1 St. John ii. 1, 2 and Book of Common Prayer, page 76