Anglican Orthodox Churchsm
Worldwide Communion
Tenth Sunday after Trinity
Sunday Report
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The Tenth Sunday after Trinity – August 4, 2024
Tenth Sunday after Trinity Propers:
The propers are 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 1540’s 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 saint’s 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 195-196, with the Collect first:
The Collect for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity
LET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity. The Epistle. 1 Corinthians xii. 1.
CONCERNING spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
The Gospel for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel. St. Luke ix. 41.
AND when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple.
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, others from Rev. Geordie and many from Rev Bryan Dabney and a few from other places. Rev. Geordie – England (left)
Points to Ponder:
…for the Joy of the Lord is your Strength. Nehemiah 8:10
Every man according as purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
II Corinthians 9:7
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Revelation 1:3
The way of wisdom and holiness is the way that leads to eternal life. It is the way to escape that misery which we cannot but see ourselves exposed to, and in danger of.
The Rev. Matthew Henry – 17th and 18th century English pastor and author.
The sweetest prayer God ever hears are the groans and sighs of those who have no hope in anything but his love.
Charles Spurgeon
Beware of manufacturing a God of your own a God who is all mercy—but not just; a God who is all love—but not holy; a God who has a Heaven for everybody—but a Hell for none; a God who will make no distinction between godly and ungodly in eternity. Such a God is an idol of your own, as truly an idol as any snake or crocodile in an Egyptian temple! The hands of your own imagination and sentimentality have made him. He is not the God of the Bible—and beside the God of the Bible there is no God at
all.
The Most Rev. J. C. Ryle– 19th century Anglican bishop and author.
An unrepentant sinner would hate Heaven and despise all of the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem. Therefore, it is clear that just as light drives out the darkness in our physical world, the sinless holiness of God will make it absolutely impossible for an unrepentant sinner to enter Heaven or to experience the glory of the heavenly city unless their sins were washed away forever by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
Dr. Grant Jeffrey– 20th and 21st century Canadian Christian author (Journey
Into Eternity, p. 224).
Grace is favor shown to people who do not deserve any favor at all. We deserve nothing but Hell! If you think you deserve Heaven–then you are not a Christian.
Martyn Lloyd Jones
The “Home of the Brave and Land of the Free” has come under dire spiritual and wanton depravity. Our men suddenly desire to be women (against the law of nature and of nature’s God) and our women want to be men. Men desire to marry men, and women, women! Our government is ruled by both idiots (a generous term) and/or traitors lacking all moral compass. Our children are victims of drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, and indoctrination in our public schools instead of liberal educations. Those things that God has labelled as abominable sin (bad) has been labelled ‘good;’ and those things which God commends (good) is now termed to be ‘evil.’ “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20) Liberty and freedom lie mortally wounded at the door while totalitarian and alien ideologies have gained the prominence. How did America get into this rut of depravity, and how shall we reverse our ill-winded fortune?
In summary, we have taken the wrong path. We have refused to heed the counsel of the prophet Jeremiah: “Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.…” (Jeremiah 6:16) Not only have we refused to walk in the righteous path of our founding fathers, but have departed with evil intent from that path. We have proudly proclaimed …“We will not walk therein.
I will say from the first that there are not many ways to God for there is only one way – that is Jesus Christ; but there are many roads that lead to that way depending on the present state of the seeking sinner, The Road to Damascus – the road of revelation; The Jericho Road – the road of Christian service in mercy and compassion; The Road to Bethlehem – walked by lowly shepherds and royal wise men; The Road to Gethsemane – the road of trust and prayerful of intercessions and The Narrow Road – the daily road of righteousness of the saints (the road less traveled): “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) This is the road which we travel day by day in faith and hope of our coming Lord. Though this way may be punctuated by mountain-top experiences of exhilaration, it traverses great valleys and shadows which may test our faith. But we know the destination, and we know the way: “And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.” (John 14:4) Unless we remain doubting Thomases, we will be certain of the destination and the way which is our Lord Jesus Christ. Which Road do you travel? As our Lord says: “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6)
There are many additional roads of righteousness that you will discover by a persevering study of God’s word. May you discover many more than we have discussed herein!
Bishop Jerry Ogles, excerpts from Roads of Grace and Mercy – 7/16/2016
A Prayer for the Anglican Orthodox Church
O Lord our heavenly Father, look down from heaven, we pray, on thy holy church, and especially on our Anglican Orthodox Church. Fill it with thy Holy Spirit of peace, power, wisdom and goodness, and make it strong in will to do thy will. Keep it from all danger, evil and error, and defend it from all of its enemies. Bring into its fold thy countless children who are wandering today as sheep without a shepherd, that they may be fed with the Living Bread and nourished with the Water of Life. Move the hearts of thy people to give to it generously of their bounty as Thou hast given to them, that it may flourish for thy Name’s sake, witnessing to the glory of thy Son our blessed Saviour, and fulfilling its mission of training sound men for its ministry and spreading the good news of reconciliation to all mankind; that thy kingdom come and thy will be done through all the earth: all of which we ask in the Name of thy dear Son our blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Bishop James P. Dees, Statesville, NC
1963
Jerry Ogles
Presiding Bishop
Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
We are fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s you tube links, devotions on the Prayer of the Collect and sermon notes.
Bishop Jerry creates videos on various subjects, they last just under ten minutes and this week’s videos are listed below:
Article X: Brief Study of Article 10 of the
39 Articles of Religion (below)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5vA8SztzPk
Parable Series by Bishop Jerry L. Olges: The House on the Rock
(link below)
PRAYER OF COLLECT for Tenth Sunday after TRINITY
LET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” (Psalms 66:18)
There is an interesting account in the life of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte at the zenith of his power. A distraught mother approached the military genius with a plea for mercy and pardon for her son. The Emperor responded that the young man had committed two separate offenses deserving death, and justice demanded the sentence to be carried out. “But it is not justice for which I ask” responded the distraught woman, “but it is mercy that I plead for my son.” “But your son does not deserve a grant of mercy!” Napoleon replied. “Sir,” she answered, “If my son deserved mercy, it would not be mercy, and mercy is all that I seek!” “Well, then,” replied the Emperor, “I shall grant mercy,” and he pardoned the woman’s son.
The Collect for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity makes a petition in two points:
1) that God open His ears of mercy in hearing our prayers, and
2) that the Holy Ghost will conform our hearts and desires to ask for those things only that are pleasing to God.
OPENING GOD’S EARS OF MERCY: Mercy is a powerful characteristic that gives birth to unmerited grace. It is worth noting that God’s ears are ‘merciful.’ This is not a casual description of God’s ‘ways’ but rather a magnification of a salient characteristic of God – His Ears are FULL of mercy to hear our prayers. Why do we need mercy? It is because justice would condemn us all to the fires of Hell. We do not become sinners at a certain time because we exercised our free will to sin – we are born sinners and are yoked with a nature that can do no good. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalms 51:5) The only so-called free will that we have is a will to sin. When we have been brought into a close relationship with Christ, our wills to do good are no longer ours, but His. Apart from the imputed righteousness of Christ, we continue as born sinners, and are sinners by our very natures inherited from the blood of Adam. So justice we must escape if we will live, and it is mercy and grace that is the only remedy for our sinfulness.
“LET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants.” Is there anything that will stop those ears of mercy in being attendant to our prayers? The 18th verse of the 66th Psalm quoted above is one cause that God will not hear our prayers. If we are NOT humble servants, but rather have hearts populated by sinful thoughts (even thoughts that do not materialize in sinful actions) God will not hear our prayers. If the sinners free will rules in his heart, God has no reason to be merciful or to hear the prayer. Once our eyes and ears are open to God, His will be open to us. “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.” (John 9:31)
Even an obedient and humble child may petition the parent for some candy or sweet that is not wholesome for his health. The child knows not the food pyramid and the harm in neglecting it, so the parent knows better and will deny, at times, the innocent, but unhealthy, request of the child. God does so as well. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3) If we expect God to listen intently to our prayers, we must deport ourselves as sons and daughters belonging to a great King, and mindful of our familial responsibilities to that Sovereign Parent. If our hearts are to receive the abundance in blessings for which we plead, those hearts must not be brim full of thoughts of iniquity or malice. They must be hearts empty of the world and full of the Spirit of God and His Mind. We dare not ask an urgent favor of one with whom we have had bitter quarrels, but we are very likely to run to the feet of one with whom we have long been friends –one whose mind is consistent with our own thinking. Why is this so? Because like minds are more generous to one another. “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16) Many good and honest men and women have resolved to be righteous, and with earnest intent; but they discover that their free wills cannot achieve righteousness. Before a moment passes they find themselves dogged by many sinful desires and words. If we will be righteous, we must rid our hearts of our human free wills, and take on the Mind that is in Christ to do HIS will and not our own sinful wills. Having that MIND will open the ears of mercy in Heaven to our prayers. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)
ASKING FOR THOSE THINGS PLEASING UNTO GOD: What things may a child ask that is pleasing to a human parent? “Dad, I am having trouble with a bully at school. Will you give me some advice?” or, “Mom, many girls in the sixth grade wear make-up. They ridicule my plain appearance. How should I respond?” These are simple pleas for help in real problems that confront the child. The parent realizes the seriousness to the child of such problems and is pleased that the child came to the parent for help. The parent desires the same result as the child – the bullying to be dealt with, or the daughter to be equipped to deal with the wrong kind of peer pressure at school. The petition is a reasonable one seeking good results and not harmful ones. God is exactly like the parent in hearing the petitions of His children. He is pleased when we ask for those things that He is already inclined to grant even before our asking. The lectionary readings today reflect, in the Gospel of St Luke 19, the immeasurable mercy of Christ over Jerusalem as He wept over the city. He wanted so desperately to grant them mercy, but they had a different MIND and would have none of it.
The problem with our prayers is that they are often too ME-centered. Give ME a promotion at work; give ME the new house I am seeking to acquire; give ME some stellar gift that sets me apart and above my fellows. These prayers ask things that are not pleasing to God to grant. But if we ask for those things that will bless God’s heart and are in conformity with His own Will, how rich and profound will be our blessing. What is that greatest blessing of being of one Mind with God? “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) We, too, must be willing and able to bear a cross of suffering for others as Christ has born for us: “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind.” (1 Peter 4:1) Which mind? The Mind of Christ. If ever you are confronted with an honest moment of doubt as to whether or not an action or thought is Godly, just imagine that Christ is standing right beside you (for He is). Does that thought change the context of doubt for you? Reader, are you a humble servant in your prayers? Do you seek to ask for those things only that you know to be pleasing to God? If you do not know that which is pleasing to God, then that forms the basis for another very Godly prayer, doesn’t it?
This Collect sets an excellent example of a prayer that God will love to hear. The petition is not for personal advantage, but uttered from humility, and a sincere desire to ask only for those things pleasing to God. The wisdom inherent in such a prayer is this: that our minds be conformed to that of the Mind of Christ so that the things we ask are really those things which He is predisposed to grant and consistent with His favor.
Sermon Notes for Tenth Sunday after Trinity
“I WOULD NOT HAVE YOU IGNORANT”
“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” (I Corinthians 12:1)
“And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple.” (Luke 19:45-46)
We find in both the Gospel text and the Epistle a grave warning and a comforting counsel. Upon His last entry into Jerusalem, Jesus wept over the city. He knew full well what judgment was shortly to befall those who practiced false and unloving religion. Being made in the image of God, He saw, with deep sorrow, the depths of darkness into which those who had claimed an adherence to the Law of God without the essential ingredient of LOVE had sunk. Their hearts were turned to hate and envy. We see traces of the same in our modern churches of today.
In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus cleansing the Temple the second time. He cleansed the Temple once before as the His first act of ministry following the miracle at the marriage feast in John 2. And now, He once more cleanses the Temple – but for what purpose? I believe the first cleansing was to herald His coming as the true Temple of God and to demonstrate the nature thereof; but the second cleansing pointed to the rejection of the Jews to the new Light of truth that His ministry had made known. The first was done to reveal the sad state of their religion at the beginning; the second was perhaps to demonstrate the coming judgment of their rejection of the King of Love and Heaven. The Temple of the heart must not become cluttered with concerns of pelf and power, but of love and faith.
How, indeed, has the modern church come to place so much emphasis on money, elaborate structures, and prideful disposition? Why all the car washes, yard sales, and cake-selling? Do these things glorify the God of Heaven? I think not. Great size of buildings and members is by no means evidence of the Christian faith; as a matter of fact, it often points to just the opposite.
The love of Jesus for the Jewish people was painful to Him in at last finding them in rejection of the Law and Prophets who told of His coming. Instead, they violently opposed Him, and to what a terrible end! The believer is, indeed, the Temple of God only because it is the abode of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Great Temple and we are the lesser. His first cleansing was a revelation of Himself as the Temple of God: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19) This first declaration to the Jewish rulers confused them for the hardness of their hearts. They could little comprehend that He was the real Temple of God made without hands. His words were prophetic of His resurrection in which, after three days, He would rise from the dead. From that moment on, they despised Him for speaking the truth. The world today still demonstrates an unreasonable hatred of the truth and Gospel of Christ. Even the mention of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in public is condemned by both government and society at large in our own nation.
Many, perhaps most, of our churches today have become “a den of thieves.” They have rejected the truth of the Bible and resorted to crowd-pleasing schemes of money and mammon. We perhaps have made ourselves too fat and comfortable in living for self and rejecting the higher laws of God. You may find these words judgmental on my part, and surely, they are; but they do not reflect my judgment, but the judgment of God revealed in His inerrant Word.
In the Epistle, we learn that the Lord desires that we be knowledgeable of all things concerning Himself through the enlightening Word of God. Often, in our time, single verses are taken out of context to establish a completely new doctrine inconsistent with the clear biblical truth as a whole. God desires that we be knowledgeable, in not only handling the Word of God, but in living it out in our lives. He would not have us to be ignorant. Ignorance can result in lack of opportunity to hear the Word – a failing of others who believe; or, it may be a result of slothful disposition to seek and to find truth of the individual.
The cleansing of the Temple was directed at unbelievers and those who vehemently reject
Christ; but in the Epistle, we find comforting counsel to the believer concerning the gifts and graces of God.
Graces are given for the wholesome faith of the believer; however, gifts are given for the benefit and salvation of others in showing the love and power of God.
The words of Paul in this Epistle are addressed as much to us of the modern day as to the Corinthians inasmuch as they were Gentiles who were invited to become members of the household o God and beneficiaries of the blessings of Israel – that is, becoming the true sons and daughters of Israel through the Spirit and not the flesh. “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 10For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” (Galatians 3:7-10)
Paul admonishes the Corinthians of failure to adhere to their spiritual heritage in Christ. “Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols….” (I Corinthians 12:2) The key word here is the past tense verb – WERE! If the Jews had truly received Christ in their hearts after the first cleansing of the Temple, neither would the second cleansing have been necessary. Once we have come to Christ by faith, we dare not turn back to the filth and horror of the wicked. As the Apostle Peter confirms, “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22) Why would any man or woman, coming into the grace and light of Christ, ever desire to return to that unhappy and perishing state of the rebellious sinner?
In today’s ancient Prayer of Collect, we find these words: “LET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The great freedom of the believers is his pleasure in owning the same will that is the Mind of Christ. The old sinful desires have been abandoned and the new hope in Christ rules in his heart. If we ask for those things that are the will and pleasure of God, why would God not grant us our petitions to that effect? We ask out of humility and not out of a sense of entitlement.
The Lord is our Sovereign – not Mammon.
Tenth Sunday after Trinity
Sermon – Bishop Jack Arnold – Time and Action
Church of the Faithful Centurion
Descanso, California
Today’s sermon tied the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together. Consider the words from the
Collect, wherein we ask God to make us … be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please thee …
Once again, this Collect is kind of a restatement of many of the Collects. First, we ask God to hear our prayers, funny in that He always listens intently to us when we pray and we very seldom listen to Him when He answers. It is an odd paradox, He listens; we never seem to listen. This is why the theme is constant through ought all of the Collects. It seems as if at times we should pray that we should listen; not Him, as He always listens! Nonetheless, we ask His help to ask for those things we need, not those things we want and are bad for us. We need to be humble when we ask.
What does that word mean?
According to the dictionary, to be HUMBLE means to be:
- Modest
- Respectful
- Lowly
Modest – unassuming in attitude and behavior
Respectful – feeling or showing respect and deference toward other people
Lowly – relatively low in rank and without pretensions
These are three characteristics we cannot possess in our imperfect state. We otherwise might
be like the Pharisees who would make a show of praying in public to appear pious when they were anything but. This perfectly shows why we need the help of the Holy Spirit in our lives in order to follow God’s will! Without the help of the Holy Spirit, we are doomed to complete failure. With the help of the Holy Ghost, we will be set up for much epic success. To avoid being like the Pharisees, we must recognize that when we ask for His Help that we must recognize the difference between our desires (our wants) and our needs and realize that they are not the same thing. What we need is what God wants for us, the things that will help us and not hurt us. We have to realize what God wants for us is far more important than the things that we selfishly want. And that in the long run what God wants for us will be healthier for our physical, mental and spiritual selves than what we want. Wanting is fine, as long as you are willing to work hard and do it and it is something that is not against God’s will for us. We just have to keep our desires in check and make sure we are not negating our needs for our own selfish wants. We have to balance our desires out with what God wants for us.
Paul reminds us though each believer is different, be in in personality, size, shape or color, in
Christ’s church those distinctions are nearly meaningless. He mentions that that those who have the Holy Spirit within them cannot call Jesus accursed and he also mentions that those without the Holy Spirit within them cannot call Jesus Lord. He also mentions that the Holy Spirit gives each and every one of us unique gifts to be used for His Glory. If we work together as a team and use our individual talents to further His Will, there is no end to the good that can be accomplished. We must remember this and remember that everybody has their own talent that can be used for God’s glory and Will here on Earth. This would indicate that the Holy Spirit is key to us if we are to follow Him and if we are to any hope of succeeding, we need to let Him into our hearts and guide us. We then need to act upon His Guidance in order to find success.
If you will but read the Bible, what God wants you to do will be clear. It may be hard sometimes, but you will know it is the course of action that you must take. Nothing worth doing is ever easy. If we just focus on what God wants us to do, rather than what we want to do, we will find that our journey in the end will be far easier than if we ignored God and did what we want to do. Let us let the Holy Spirit in and guide us up that narrow uphill path towards heaven. If you do your best to do His Will all will be well with you. Death is a pretty hollow threat if you do your duty. If you have done your best, that is at the end of the day, you have done your best to follow Him, then truly you have nothing to fear. Contrast this with the people of Jerusalem. They could or would not see what God wanted for them or now for us. In 70AD, what had been so hard earlier seemed pretty easy compared to the fix they were in, but by then it was too late. They had ignored our Lord’s Gospel and were about to pay a pretty heavy price for it. By then they were left with only “There are none so poor as cannot purchase a noble death.” But, for most of them by that time they had no will. It left when they failed to follow God’s Will.
The example of them is a good object lesson for us, to do what we can in the here and now and
not worry about tomorrow. It is a good lesson in not putting off tomorrow what we can do today and not to ignore God when he tells us we should do or not do something. We shouldn’t complain if it is too hard for us, because being on God’s side, nothing is too hard for us. There will be a lot of times where we just feel like giving up and that it is too hard. But keeping going is easier than if we just give up. We can’t change the past that is fixed and done, but we can change the future through our actions in the present. So let our actions be good ones, that help the Church on Earth and change the future in a positive manner.
When Luke wrote of the sales in the temple, he had a point. The point was not to preclude jumble sales at church. He is not against the sales. However, what He is against is the cheating in the name of God. That is pretty clear. You must understand the temple hawkers were selling perfect defective “sacrificial lambs” which would be recycled over and over.
The concept of being truthful in the efforts we make to spread The Word is not a separate subject by any means, but would take more time to talk about than we have time for here. Suffice it to say that we must take every care to spread The Truth and not what our audience, whoever that may be, would like to hear. When we bring our successful effort to make money, they were defrauding the people and insulting God in His own House. I think in a way this can be pointed at those who are cheating people in the name of God in our own time, such as Joel Osteen and the like.
To paraphrase Christ, where their treasure is, there will their heart be also. It should also be
pointed out a church should be a place of worship. It may be a Prophet Center, but not a Profit Center
Similar sounding words, but a totally different meaning for the church. If the building needs constant commercial enterprise, then perhaps the emphasis is on the wrong center. All of these churches that emphasize quantity over quality should be suspect. It does not matter the quantity, as long as you have a base of quality believers who serve the One Triune God. We need to be concerned more about the spreading of His Word, the constant truth, then focusing on how many people we can attract, and how the message can be changed to suit them. These are both problems with the modern churches today. A church should be funded for its needs by its members and its wants should come much later, if not in fact unheeded. A church is about Him, not about IT.
Do what you are supposed to do when you are supposed to do it. That is duty. It does not
matter how you “feel” about black or white. Black is black; White is white. Do your duty. Work
as hard as you can, do the best you can, trust in the Lord. By the way, cheat no one. If you
follow that, you won’t need to be told, “Particularly in God’s House.”
Action counts. For by their actions ye shall know them. Heaven is at the end of an uphill trail. The easy downhill trail does not lead to the summit. The time is now, not tomorrow. The time has come, indeed. How will you ACT? It is by our actions we are known.
Be of God – Live of God – Act of God
Yves M. Méra
Presiding Bishop – AOC France Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide
We are fortunate to have a sermon from the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Orthodox Church of France and the Administrative Coordinator of Europe and Africa. As you will read, he is an excellent writer. The sermon is easy to read and provides much insight.
SERMON for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity –
1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Luke 19:41-47a
RECEIVING CHRIST
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
The English have expressions of their own, such as the verbs to snob or to ignore. Who in his right mind could declare without sounding stupid that he is fleeing from Jesus Christ, God made man, and the source of all good and goodness? It’s unthinkable. And yet this is what the leaders of Jerusalem did, when Christ visited their city.
They saw their influence diminish and their importance relativized by the One whom they considered a competitor and usurper, a founder of a cult. But Jesus was a preacher of mercy (Matthew 12:7): “But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.” And Jesus Himself was condemned, though innocent. Officials don’t like to be told that they are on the wrong track. And yet, to err is human and religious leaders are not immune to unintentional or even voluntary mistakes…
In Luke 19:41-44, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem because he knows its future. He does not weep for Himself, when He is going to be mistreated and cruelly crucified. He weeps over the fate that awaits the inhabitants of a city perverted by its leaders for their own profit. These inhabitants whose ancestors massacred all the prophets that the Father sent them to bring them back into the right path, like a shepherd returns with the lost sheep he has found, carrying it on his shoulders. Jesus Christ is the ultimate shepherd, the only begotten Son of the Father, the master of the flock, and charged with reminding them of the Law of Moses with the key to its interpretation: the love of God and neighbor – in a word, Mercy.
Jesus weeps, in fact, because he knows that the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be treated no better than those of Sodom and Gomorrah; all will perish by the sword of the Roman soldiers in the year 70 of the Christian era (Luke 19:43-44): “For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.” One does not mock God with impunity, especially when one is part of His chosen people! When a limb is affected by gangrene, it is cut off and the amputated limb is thrown into the mass grave. This is in order to preserve the body from contamination (Matthew 18:8-9): “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.” Perishing by fire, this is what awaits the inhabitants of Paris, after the Olympic affront offered to our Lord Jesus Christ during the parody of the opening of the games. We are now perfectly warned. President Poutine confirms.
The inhabitants of Jerusalem first welcomed Jesus Christ as a Liberator, with cries of “Hosanna, son of David”. Son of David, that is, heir to the royal crown of Israel. They thought they were honoring Jesus who was entering the city, modestly perched on the baby of a donkey. But they did not receive Him as the Messiah, the only begotten Son of God, God incarnate. This main aspect of Him was ignored, snubbed. Even today, the recent versions of the Bible have this same flaw, following the Bible of Jehovah’s Witnesses: they attenuate the divinity of Christ, in order to present a human Christ, more son of David than of the Heavenly Father, and compatible with the New World Order, which is the contemporary version of the Tower of Babel, a rebellion against the one living and true God.
God hardened the inhabitants of Jerusalem as He had hardened the heart of Pharaoh in the time of Moses (Exodus 7:3-4): “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. 4But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.” And it was not one, not two, not three, but ten plagues that struck the Egyptians. They had their fill, but Pharaoh persisted in his rebellion against the true God and against Moses, His envoy.
In front of Jerusalem, Jesus cried out (Luke 19:42): “Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.” And yet, Our Lord Jesus Christ stands every day in the Temple of Jerusalem, openly teaching a blind crowd, for they do not see God’s Messiah, but a self-taught Rabbi, a good connoisseur of the Law and the prophets, and a freelance commentator on God’s Word. The crowd does not see that they are in the camp of religious warfare against God, because they are not receiving Christ as the Son of God. Now, it is precisely peace that Jesus gives to those who receive Him for what He is: God Himself, visiting His people. Thus, Lot received the Lord on His visit to Sodom in the form of two messengers (Genesis 19:1): “And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;” Prostrating themselves before the Lord is what the inhabitants of Jerusalem forgot to do, for they were spiritually blind, blinded as they were by the grace of God which aimed at the sacrifice of Christ on the cross for the salvation of the elect. Similarly, the two angels blinded the Sodomites (Genesis 19:10-11): “But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.” Just as Jesus came to save His chosen ones, so the two angels saved Lot and his family from destruction (Genesis 19:12-13): “And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.” No doubt it was God who also sent the Roman armies to destroy Jerusalem! And it was not Lot who made the decision to save himself, but the Lord alone (Genesis 19:15-16): “And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.”
God saved Lot in spite of himself, manu militari – by force! If, therefore, we are saved, it does not come from us, but from God, who has given us grace, giving us the gift of faith, without any merit on our part. As with Lot, God forces our hand by instilling faith in us, even though we were rebellious to God and His Law. In the same way, Jesus chose His disciples when He was unknown to them, and they followed Him, not knowing where they were going. It never was their choice.
The inhabitants of Jerusalem had no objection to the presence of merchants inside the Temple. The courtyard of the Temple had become a market place, as in the idolatrous pagan temples or in the forum of Rome. Our Lord Jesus Christ is scandalized by this incongruous presence and cleans up: Out! Out with all those who make money and enrich themselves on the backs of the faithful! Out with the interested preachers, who talk more about money, offerings and tithes than about the gospel of Christ! Get them out of the churches! Make room for the teaching of the true gospel of Christ!
And God doesn’t just save us; He equips us for the ministry He entrusts to us. God created us all different, and individually recognizable. Yes, it is the same God who has made us different, and yet all in His image. Indeed, God is Spirit, and we do not resemble Him physically, but spiritually. In the new birth by faith, we receive Christ and a share of His Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God (Joel 2:28a): “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh…” In fact, even the reprobate have received a share of the Holy Spirit, for they too have been created in the image of God who is a Spirit. Our share of the Holy Spirit gives us life as all those who believe in the name of Christ and receive Him worthily, in obedience to His divine will, to pray to Him and call upon Him (Joel 2:32): “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” But who called on the name of the Lord in the year 70 C.E. in Jerusalem? No one! Let us remember this lesson: The Holy Spirit is not given to us to sleep, but to pray to God, to serve Him by exercising the special gift that He has placed in each one of us. We cannot call on the name of the Lord until we have received Christ and His Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3): “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.”
Paul gives us a list of the main gifts of the Holy Spirit: ” … word of wisdom… word of knowledge… faith… healings… Miracles… prophecy… discerning of spirits… divers kinds of tongues… interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will” (1 Corinthians 12:8-11). Notice that the majority of these gifts are exercised by means of the word: “word of wisdom… word of knowledge… prophecy… divers kinds of tongues… interpretation of tongues”. It is through a Word received from Christ and transmitted by His disciples that we are saved (1 Thessalonians 2:13): “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” And these spiritual gifts are not given to us to boast, but to serve God and His Church (1 Corinthians 12:7): “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” It is a question of spreading the Word of God throughout the world, beginning with our own family (Luke 10:16): “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.”
There is one question we must ask ourselves: what does Paul mean by the good of all? Is it a question of our little personal well-being, or something else? Here, we must not confuse good with pleasure. The good is the combination of the beautiful, the good and above all the true. What is true is good for everyone, and truth is beautiful in itself. People have the right to know the truth and to receive it as such. But many – the majority – reject the truth and prefer lies. They think that this will save them from punishment. They may have been able to deceive their relatives and friends for a more or less long time, but the God of truth cannot be deceived. Our Lord has shown us where the truth is: it is in Christ, and the right answer to the question of the “good of all” is to welcome Him (John 14:6): to Thomas, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
But how can we admit that the good of all would involve two opposite situations: on the one hand, the elect who will be saved from the wrath to come, and on the other hand, the reprobate, doomed to eternal hell? In what way is it a good thing for everyone? The answer is complex: first, the general good requires that everyone, good and bad, should not be mixed. Prisons and asylums for the insane have been built to protect the people from their fits of violence. The good of all requires that everyone should not be treated indiscriminately, in the name of a relativist, globalist or woke egalitarianism – confusion is the enemy of truth. Secondly, justice must be exercised by applying the Law of God, which is good for all. Good laws are inspired by the divine law, which promotes peace in respect and charity. Finally, the good of all does not exclude the good of God, that is, His glory. Today, our Western societies ignore and snob the Eternal Father, ridicule the Son by parodying him with Drag Queens, and deny the very existence of the Holy Ghost. Luciferian Freemasons cultivate another spirit that manifests itself in its stupid wickedness. They close the door to the truth and to Christ. Therefore, the good of all is to fight against these Luciferians and to denounce their permanent lie (Titus 1:12-13): “One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.”
May the Holy Spirit of God present in each of us qualify us by His gifts to lead this battle of the word of truth against falsehood. Amen.
Rt. Rev. Yves Méra, AOC Bishop of France.
Rev Bryan Dabney of Saint John’s AOC Vicksburg, Mississippi – 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.
Tenth Sunday after Trinity
In our epistle lesson for today, we were presented with the prophet Jeremiah’s message regarding the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem by the Babylonian Chaldeans. Hear again the words of the prophet: Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yet, she sigheth, and turneth backward. Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter (Lamentations 1:8-9).
Consider also the following from II Chronicles 36:15-16 which reads, And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending: because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till
there was no remedy. Thus when men rebel against God, they can expect no help from him in the day of trouble. For it will be a day which God has reserved for them; and when it arrives, there will be no means of escape just as there was no escape for the inhabitants of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (II St. Peter 2:9).
Now some may think that our times are different from those described in our lesson from Lamentations as we used to be a people who for the most part honored Scripture and who encouraged the growth of the Christian faith through our churches and in our daily lives. And true enough, there have always been folks among us who were not of the faith, or who only pretended to be Christian, and
our Articles of Religion as much as say so. In Article XXVI we read in part that, “Although in the visible Church the evil be ever mingled with the good…” as well is in Article XXIX wherein we learn that, “The Wicked, and such as be void of a lively faith, although they do carnally and visibly press with their teeth (as Saint Augustine saith) the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ; yet in no wise are they partakers of Christ: but rather, to their condemnation…” And on that account, our time differs from the prophet’s with regard to the customs and organizing principles of their society, but not in the realm of behavior. Therefore our Articles confirm the important scriptural truths found in the parables of the wheat and tares, and the net (St. Matthew 13:24-30; and 47-50): that we are just as prone to sin as any other people because we are subject to the effects of original sin.
So instead of witnessing an increasing number of people coming to Christ, we are currently experiencing a noticeable decline in active membership within orthodox Christian bodies. This desertion rate which we are witnessing came about for several reasons. One of the principal change-agents can be found in the churches themselves. The abandonment of sound biblical doctrines by an increasing number of clergy and seminarians has led to the overthrow of the faith of many via their apostate teachings. And further, such has profoundly aided in the rebirth of paganism along with the rise of various so-called “Christian” cults which are also change-agents of note. Collectively, these forces have transformed many church bodies from a God-centered belief system to any of the various mancentered ones. And the repercussions from this change in theology also extends to a civilizational level. Regardless of their specific content, all man-centered belief systems have led to numerous divisions within our churches as well our country. And such was confirmed by our Lord who warned, Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, a the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household (St. Matthew 10:34-36). So it follows that the purpose of our Lord’s ministry— both earthly and of the Holy Ghost after his ascension— has been to call out the just from among the wicked so that they will not suffer God’s wrath. Remember our Lord’s words to Nicodemus: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (St. John 3:18).
And we should bear in mind the prophet Isaiah’s warning: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness: that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (5:20) for it is an accurate description of what the unregenerated masses have done in times past, and are doing at this present. They have violated every commandment of God with impunity. To them there is nothing sacred— not the unborn in the womb; not the elderly and infirm; and not the rights of individual citizens to their lives, their property and their enjoyment of the same.
Some years ago, I had a prison ministry where once a month I held a worship service with the inmates in a women’s facility. Upon one occasion when it came time to deliver my sermon, I begin with a restatement of Isaiah 5:20 and it was “off to the races” in a direction somewhat different from my base text. After I read that passage, I looked about the room and said something to the effect that, “Y’all know exactly what this scripture means… every one of you. You would not be here if you had not done what this passage says.” It was as if the Holy Ghost wanted them to hear and then to turn. I often remind my hearers that there are two types of witnesses in the Christian faith. One is the affirming witness who encourages the unregenerate to accept the Lord Jesus and receive the Holy Ghost who will seal them unto the day of redemption. Then, at the last when the Lord calls that person before his judgment seat, they will be accepted into his kingdom because they had accepted him as their Saviour and Lord. But there is also an accusing witness who will attest to the fact that the unregenerate after having heard the witness for our Lord rejected the same. And so, at the Great White Throne judgment, that same witness will stand against all who have rejected Christ in this life and will result in them being cast away from his presence forever. God will not tolerate indefinitely the treading down of his word and commandment by unregenerate mankind. That said, God has also provided a way of escape from his wrath to come via the acceptance of the one way, truth and life found in his Son, Jesus Christ. Want to be saved? Then believe on him and accept his free gift of salvation.
The children of Israel did not turn from their wicked ways as the prophets had warned. And because they did those things and enjoyed themselves in the process, a harsh and devastating judgment fell upon them. But there is another harsh and devastating judgment coming. It will come at a time when people least expect it. Given that understanding, it is my prayer that each of you will truly accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. That you will reject all that the world, the flesh, and the Devil has to offer. Decide today that you will accept Christ and then live as one redeemed, following the commandments of God and walking in his holy ways for his glory and your eternal good. The future comes sooner that we think so be prepared to meet the Lord when he comes again.
Let us pray,
Blessed and holy God, give us grace sufficient to see the truth of your word written and to proclaim the same to those of the unregenerate; that they too will come to accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord; and these things we ask in his most holy name. Amen.
Have a blessed week,
Bryan+
Roy Morales-Kuhn, Bishop and Pastor
Saint Paul’s Anglican Church
Diocese of the Midwest Anglican Orthodox Church Suffragan Bishop of the AOC
Tenth Sunday after Trinity
LET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
“Because He knows the future.”
When we read the account of the last verses of Luke 19, we can see that there must be at least two different times that Jesus is making reference to.
41And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. (Luke 19:41-44)
The first four verses are pointing to some future event that will overtake Jerusalem. Jesus was compassionate towards the folk living there and those who would be affected by the events to come, as he comes upon the city he is overcome by compassion. He weeps over the city.
This compassion is twofold.
- First, being that those in the city, have no knowledge of the peace that should be theirs, it is hidden from them. Jesus spent three and a half years preaching, teaching, doing miracles, healing the sick, and yet the people do not see. This is the first reason Jesus is overcome with compassion for the lost. Interestingly it will be because many of God’s chosen will reject the Messiah, Jesus Christ, that the Gentile will be adopted into the Family of God.
- Secondly, he speaks of a time that is coming, where an enemy will completely surround Jerusalem, so no one can leave. Then the bad stuff happens: many will be killed, along with their children, and the destruction of the city will also be accomplished. This destruction of Jerusalem will occur in the lifetime of many of those who followed Jesus, in 70 A.D. Titus, the Roman general, will destroy Jerusalem and the temple. Many Jews will be killed, those who survive will be sold into slavery. The city will be leveled. Roman law will now forbid ANY Jews from living inside the remainder of the city. They will not be allowed back into the city until many years later under the last caesars of a fading Roman empire.
45And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. (Luke 19:44-45)
Then Jesus does what the postmodern church never teaches. He becomes angry, he throws the money changers and merchandisers out of the temple grounds. This was not because Jesus was against capitalism. He was against corruption and theft. The temple system allowed for the exchange of foreign coin (which was considered unclean) for “temple” coin, which was allowed on the temple grounds. These temple coins were used by the faithful for their offerings to God. The essential idea wasn’t bad, it was how it was corrupted. The money changers would short change the faithful in the transaction. They would keep a percent and share a percent with the temple staff.
Another part of the corruption and thievery was sale of unfit animals used in sacrifice. Which was in direct defiance of Mosaic law. Many of the faithful Jews would make a once in a lifetime trip to Jerusalem to worship at the great temple. They would only bring what they could safely travel with, so no sacrificial animals were brought, especially during high holy days, such as Passover. The foreign travelers would have to rely on the sale of local animals and temple money to complete their duties and sacrifices.
This is how the corrupt money changers got established. What really made Jesus angry was the collusion between the money changers and the temple staff. “…it is written, My house is the house of prayer: but you have made it a den of thieves...”
47And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, 48And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him. (Luke 19:47-48)
Then notice what Jesus does. He begins to teach, daily, to the crowds that have followed him into Jerusalem.
How do we tie up this message today?
- Jesus has compassion on those who are lost.
- He gives fair warning to what destruction and woe is to come, today we can find this warning in the Bible.
- He continually teaches us; again in the pages of the Bible, to seek him and the peace that he offers.
LET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Let us pray:
O LORD Jesus Christ, who saidst unto thine Apostles, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; Regard not our sins, but the faith of thy Church; and grant to it that peace and unity which is according to thy will, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
THE Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and give us peace, this night and evermore. Amen.
Bishop Roy Morales-Kuhn
Rev Stephen Cooper Church of the Redeemer Fairbanks, Alaska
Ninth Sunday after Trinity
We are very grateful when we can get the sermons recorded by Rev. Stephen Cooper during his church service. They are sent to Bishop Ogles to format the audio for publication. Thank you, Bishop Ogles. The sermon today is most important and well worth the investment of time!
Click the Link below-left to listen to this Wonderful sermon by Rev. Stephen Cooper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Goq8ZUvn_4&t=32s
AOC Worldwide Prayer List –
I have received updates from a few and those will be the first added to the list. Please send all prayer requests and updates to aocworldwide@gmail.com for future reports. If you would like to be removed from list just respond with remove in the subject line.
Keep Praying for the following:
Shamu, Tom, Craig, Jack & Dru Arnold, Roberto & Bianca, Phylis, Dotty, Sue, Sandra, Madison & Hilda, Steve, Josh Morley, Jennifer
AOC USA, AOC Missions, Zach, Jess, Luke, Jacquie, Harper, Genie
Prayer Needed:
Linda – 20 Years with Multiple Myeloma, in remission for several years, Her numbers are increasing and they have to increase the new chemo that causes hard side effects- pray the increase decreases the numbers and she can stay in remission again.
Genie – her appointment was the same treatment prescribed by another doctor that she has already tried. Genie and her husband Mike are on travel to California for a wedding. Prayer for safe travels.
James – Recovery from surgery for bleeding ulcer
The Berman Family for loss of their daughter/sister Danni.
Steve Ciccarelli – Recovery from Cervical Fusion Surgery
Camella and Noel have returned home from St. Marteen, please continue to pray for comfort and loss.
Tommy and Vikki for comfort for the Loss of their brother/brother-in-law, Jeremy.
Extended Issues need continued prayer;
Laurie with long Covid Symptoms – Extreme exhaustion, heart palpitations, breathing problems and unstable blood pressures are constant worries causing depression to settle in.
Brenda – long term Laryngitis – help speaking again
Praise Reports for Answered Prayer:
Bishop Ernest Jacob and his wife Eileen have safely returned home to Pakistan after a 5-week tour of America. They are celebrated by their Parishioner’s’ for their safety and homecoming.
