Anglican Orthodox Churchsm
Worldwide Communion
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
Sunday Report
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The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity – August 18, 2024
Eleventh 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 Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. The Epistle. II Corinthians iii. 4.
SUCH trust have we through Christ to God-ward: not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and en-graven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
The Gospel for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel. St. Mark vii. 31.
JESUS, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
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:
Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding that I may learn thy commandments.
Psalm 119:73
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the,spirits.
Proverbs 16:2
Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of, fools.
Ecclesiastes 7:9
Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.
Isaiah 50:9
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
St. Matthew 5:3
I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ, and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master.
John Newton
As well might a gnat seek to drink in the ocean, so might a finite creature seek to comprehend the eternal God.
Charles Haddock Spurgeon
You never know the ripple that will touch the shore of eternity when you drop that stone of grace into somebody’s heart.
Adrian Rogers
God doesn’t love us because of our worth, we are of worth because God loves us.
Martin Luther
Anger may come into the bosom of a wise man and pass through it as a wayfaring man, it rests only in the bosom of fools, there it resides… there it has the innermost and uppermost place, there it is hugged as that which is dear and not easily parted with.
The Rev. Matthew Henry – 17th and 18th century English pastor and author.
The only regeneration that I can see in Scripture is not a change of state, but a change of heart. That is the view, I once more assert, which the Church Catechism takes when it speaks of the “death unto sin, and new birth unto righteousness”, and on that view I take my stand.
The Most Rev. J. C. Ryle –19th century Anglican bishop and author (Knots Untied, p. 120).
How can you have no regrets about your life lived and be considered fit for heaven? Without a humble, contrite heart, without a coming to God’s throne of grace to seek his pardon in the name of Christ, there can be no assurance of salvation. Those who have no regrets have nothing to confess and without their true confession, without their recognition of their sins they are lost.
The Rev. Bryan Dabney – St, Johns AOC, Rector
I encourage each of you to read Exodus chapter sixteen for a full understanding apart from my summary below. First of all, Aaron stored up a pot of the Manna to place later in the Ark of the covenant. “And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations.” (Exodus 16:33) As you will recall, the Ark of the Covenant contained the Tables of the Law, the Rod of Aaron, and a golden vessel containing that same manna collected by Aaron. Above the Ark of the Covenant was the Mercy Seat representing the Redemption made available through our Lord Jesus Christ. The children of Israel were to collect their daily ration of manna each morning saving none for the following day except for the Sabbath.
We need our daily Bread of God’s Word every day lest we faint or grow weary in the spirit. We cannot save up our imputed righteousness granted by Christ; we must daily partake of that Manna from Heaven which is Christ – He is the Bread of Heaven. “For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” (John 6:33) … “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35) We cannot live by faith one day, and by chance the next.
Bishop Jerry L. Ogles 5/2022
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 XII: Brief Study of Article 12 of the
39 Articles of Religion (below)
Parable Series by Bishop Jerry L. Olges: The Bread of Life. (link below)
The Prayer of Collect for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Healing, of which our COLLECT speaks, begins with repentance for the sinner. But the man of our text today could not come to Christ without someone BRINGING HIM. He could not even pray for healing as he knew not how to formulate words. We must be ready and willing to bring those who are dumb to their condition to confront the Word of God head-on to understand the perilous ground upon which they stand. The man of our story, as well, was unworthy of asking and was not worthy of the granting, but Christ healed him out of His great love and compassion. I believe the man thereby by wholly healed, not only of hearing and speech, but in having his sins remitted as well. Jesus never does any work half-handedly.
Sermon Notes for Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
TWO SPIRITS THAT DRIVE THE CHRISTIAN
The Seeking Spirit:
Our text opens today following the visit of Christ to the coast of Tyre and Sidon where, we are told in verse 24, “He could not be hid.” Because He was SOUGHT out by a Syro-Phenecian woman who had HEARD of Him, came and fell at His feet pleading that He cast out an unclean spirit from her precious little daughter, her prayer was answered. This Christ did. The lesson, of course, is this: Christ can in no wise be hidden from those who seek Him. How may the “Light of the World” be concealed in the desert night? Moreover, He delights at being found by those who seek Him. As our Prayer of Collect says: He is “always more ready to hear than we to ask.” So Christ deliberately desires to give us that for which we ask – as long as we ask for those things that it is His will to grant. One of the characteristics of the spirit of a Christian is that of a SEEKER. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
No man comes to Christ if he has not sought Him out. So first and foremost, we must have a Seeker spirit. There must have been a great guilt that has impinged upon our consciences at some point, evoked by the Holy Spirit, to cause us to feel and know our absolute depravity and sin. Even a dying child, or a dreadful disease, may awaken us to our great need – ‘the soul’s sincere desire.’ Some, like the lost sheep, know not where to seek; so they bleat and scurry to and fro in the wilderness rocks until their cries are heard by the Good Shepherd who comes to them in their loneliness and fright. Shouldn’t we, if able, be like those Greeks who came to Philip at Bethsaida, and desired of him, inquiring: “Sir, we would see Jesus!” (John 12:21) But, like the lost sheep of the parable, are not able to go to Him, so they cry out where they are. Some are blind, cannot see, and are BROUGHT to Christ so that the scales may be removed from their eyes and they may see. How does such faith come? “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) Have you both heard and believed from the Word of God? Someone must have TOLD you. Have you told others?
Now, in order to share good news, one must be the recipient of Good News – the Good News that is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! Knowing a truth of imponderable benefit to others must compel us to speak out. Have we remembered the Lord’s very last prayer before His ascension? “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matt 28:19-20) Have you gone to those who have not heard, who cannot see to come to Christ?
Now Jesus returns the shore of the Galilean Sea – to Decapolis. We are told that, without the news of His coming being published in the newspapers or broadcast on radio, men brought a fellow to Christ who could neither see nor speak. How did they know that Christ was coming? Perhaps bad news does travel rapidly, but Good News travels with the speed of light – the Light of the World. Every place that Christ went, healing and doing good, the witnesses heralded his name and movements everywhere. The news was simply too good to keep silence. It is impossible to know Christ and keep silent. There are no secret Christians!
The Missionary Spirit:
Once we have seen, heard, and known Christ, there is a second spirit that must evince itself – the MISSIONARY SPIRIT! So how is Christ greeted on His arrival at Decapolis on the coasts of Galilee? Men bring to Him a friend who was both deaf and had a speech impediment. Such impediments of speech are common to those who have not, and cannot, hear. All who have not heard the Gospel are also handicapped from speaking it to others. These men who brought this deaf man to Christ had already heard of Him and knew that He was able to heal. So they put feet to their faith and brought a man who could not have heard of Christ. Faith is like a newborn babe – it cannot lie still. It must exercise itself and cry out and, thereby, GROW! Our own faith is increased when we share that faith with others and observe the resulting miracle!
“And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.” (Mark 7:32) Men, who were able to know of Christ by HEARING of Him, now bring one to Christ who had no such benefit. I love the spirit of love and compassion that is generated in a heart full of faith. Please note that these men ask nothing that would be shocking of Christ. They do not make demands in their prayer such as the modern church advocates. They besought (pleaded) only that Christ “put His hand upon” the deaf and dumb man. Why were they not more specific? Do our prayers have to be specific in detail? Not at all! In the Lord’s Prayer, we simply ask that His will be done. If the will of Christ is done in our lives, it will be enough! These men could not demand that Christ restore the man’s tongue and loose his ears. So, they knew that the mercy of Christ would do all things needful. We never inquire or suggest the means by which Christ should answer our prayers, we should settle always for the happy result and not the means. We might properly remember that “His ways are not OUR ways, and our ways are not His ways.”
There is no secret formula or incantation whereby the miraculous works of God are produced. The simple and mysterious manner in which Christ healed this man could be replicated precisely a thousand times by mere men with no such result. The power was not in the MEANS, but in the LORD! “And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue.” (Mark 7:33) The example here is one of intimacy. We would sooner drink from the same glass as our child than that of another’s. When we are healed, it is a matter between the one being healed and the healer. So Christ took the man away from the multitude. Our greatest healing from sin is ALWAYS a matter of our coming face to face with Christ and apart from the multitudes. Christ touched the man by placing His fingers in his ears, and spit and touched His tongue. The man was not repelled by this intimate touch. His great need was to speak and hear – not to worry about the means. Many of my own prayers have been answered in amazing and surprising ways – almost never the way I expected. Jesus is a Lord of surprises. He will answer our prayers in ways that will result in our greatest benefit and in ways that we could never have imagined. When we pray, we must expect to be touched by Him, and we must expect to receive Him into our innermost being.
Christ did all things in perfect fellowship with the Father. When we undertake to serve God with a great work, even though our intentions may be commendable, we must first look to God. 34 “And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.” (Mark 7:34) Even our Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten of the Father, looked to His Father in all of His works and miracles. He did so because, first, He wished to have His Father’s concurrence in all things; and, secondly, He desired to glorify the Father in all that He did. So must we! Do we boast of our success at organizing a worship service that attracts man, or our success at Bible studies that attract many? The glory is not ours, but belongs to God. In healing, Jesus ALWAYS took compassion on the person who sought it. The Good Samaritan was the only one who took compassion on the poor Jew who lay dying on the Road to Jericho. He felt the pain of the Jew. Jesus feels our pain as if it were His own. He makes Himself One with whomever He touches to heal and forgive.
What was the results of the Lord’s command of “Ephphatha!”? “And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.” (Mark 7:35) When Christ speaks a single word to our hearts, the response is immediate – just as immediate as Paul’s being struck down on the road to Damascus. The mystery of God is at work in opening eyes that they may see, or even in blinding the eyes that we may KNOW Him as Paul was blinded on that Road. Once our eyes have been opened to the beauty of the Lord, our tongues shall also speak plainly of Him, “…the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.” (Mark 7:35)
The counsel of our Lord in the next verse may seem a bit strange, but it has a great lesson secreted in its heart. “And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it.” (Mark 7:36) Please tell me: was this not a bit improbable that a man could be healed of speech and hearing and should remain silent about it? Do you really believe that Jesus intended that they MUST not tell anyone? Remember the young man, blind from birth, whose sight Jesus restored and commanded to tell no one? Or do you remember the leper that Christ healed whom He commanded, “Tell no man!” What profound truth was Christ conveying with such counsel? I believe the answer to that question is apparent based on what I know of the loving Lord. How can a man who has been unable to speak keep silence after having his speech restored? It is natural and irresistible that the first thing such a man will do is practice his speech, and tell every soul how he recovered it. The same with the blind man who was healed. How can he go home to his parents and not tell them the obvious – that once he was blind, but now he sees? Or the leper, who was forced to separate himself from friends and family, not tell all that he no longer has leprosy and why?
Jesus is making this point: Once the power of God has worked a marvelous work and a wonder in your soul, how can you keep silence even if commanded by God Himself! Jesus is saying to us, “Though I command your silence from telling others all that I have done in healing your guilty soul and your body, you cannot bear to keep silence.” Once you have known Christ and His Gospel, it will be IMPOSSIBLE for you to keep that secret! You must proclaim the good news from the roof tops!
When Christ has forgiven your sins, and received you by adoption into the family of God, all people will see the change and wonder of that marvelous work come over you. “And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.” (Mark 7:37) When Christ works a miracle in your life, it is seldom solitary – it is a healing of all ills the first of which is your deadly disease of sin. He practices ‘triage’ in addressing our most serious affliction first – and that most serious affliction is always sin, for its end is eternal death and darkness.
Eleventh Sunday after Trinity
Sermon – Bishop Jack Arnold – Time and Action
Church of the Faithful Centurion
Descanso, California
Consider the words of the Collect, wherein we ask God who is … more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask …
For the first time in a long time, this collect acknowledges we are continually pray to God, asking Him for what WE want. Yet, how oft do we listen to Him when He responds with what we need?[1] If we will listen to Him and DO what He asks, He will give us more than we have need of, more than we ask for and more than we can even desire. The point of the collect is that He has unlimited resources for this and also able to forgive us for things of which are bearing on our conscience. Yet, it requires us to listen to Him, then ACT[2] on what we are told. When we ask His forgiveness, when He gives it, we need to accept it and live it; if we live in the past, we never will benefit. The only place we can accept it is in the present, in the here and now.
The Collect also acknowledges that God is more ready and more inclined to listen to us that we are to pray to Him. That is a sad but simple truth and it reflects His perfect nature versus our imperfect free will nature. The Collect encourages us to ask for those good things of which we are not worthy to ask, which is what we need. It also asks God to pour his abundance of mercy down upon us and forgive us those things of which our conscience is afraid. God is very merciful and very forgiving and we must always remember that. We must do our best to go forth and sin no more to the best of our abilities however.
As we all know the past has already happened; it is unchangeable. It is set in stone. The future has not yet happened, but can only be influenced through our actions in the present. This is why worrying about the future and past is pointless. We cannot dwell endlessly on the past and go through all the what ifs. That is not productive at all. What we must do is learn the lessons we are meant to learn from the past and move forward, and do our best not to make the mistakes we made in the past. We also cannot change things that are undetermined to happen, We can only influence things in the present. To use computer speak, the past and undetermined to happen events are read only and not read and write. The present is where we can read and write and make changes to our lives. Dwelling on the past does not help solve the problems of the present or future. We must take the lessons of the past, but then once learned, look no more back but forward to what we can do in the present, the only realm of time in which we can actually influence anything.
How do we learn those lessons? Luckily for us God has provided a solution in the form of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is here to help guide us and help us learn the lessons we need to get through life here on Earth. We will be faced with many trials and tribulations in our Earthly life, but if we take what the Holy Ghost says and act upon His Words, we will find that all will be well with our souls.
Very much like in our society today, too many Jews only cared about not violating the Law, not about the spirit of the Law which was intended. People today have a tendency to want to be a law abiding citizen and not break any laws. They forget about the spirit of the laws. Following the letter of the Law does not save an individual, following the spirit of the Law is what counts. If you follow the spirit of the Law, you are following what the Law was meant for. Jesus is the ultimate embodiment of the Law. As the embodiment of the Law, He gave us the important bits of the law, when He gave us the Summary of The Law, which through Him would bring life, everlasting life and happiness here on earth:
THOU shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
Only two laws to comply with, which though simpler, are harder:
- Love God
- Love your neighbor like yourself
There is no getting around these two moral laws; no loopholes in these two laws, they are very plain and very clear. If you follow those two laws, there is not much other guidance. The Ten Commandments themselves spring from these two laws as a moral base. Loving God and loving your neighbor like yourself will greatly improve your life and others around if you consistently follow it. This is not something anybody can get around, you have to follow them exactly as written. The Summary of the Law is the spirit of the New Testament, which is we are to love God and love our neighbors. These are both things seemingly contrary to our sinful nature, but with the help of the Holy Ghost, they can be overcome. And they are also both things that will greatly improve our lives here on Earth. If not in a monetary sense, most certainly our lives will be improved spiritually if we follow the Summary of the Law.
In the Gospel, Jesus helped a deaf man with an impediment of speech. It is a parable in of itself. The deaf man is a representation of us. We like the deaf man have an impediment, that is our natural inclination to sin. Only by help of the Holy Ghost can we have that impediment start to be removed so that we can do our very best to follow God’s will. We need to open our hearts to the Holy Ghost and let him in to do his spiritual cleansing and guiding. Without the Holy Ghost, we cannot follow God effectively.
The Holy Ghost is a large part of our spiritual lives. Without Him, we could not be considered one of Christ’s sheep. He is the one who communicates from God to us and how we are to act on this Earth. He helps guide our spiritual paths and advises us on the correct actions to be taken. We have to let Him into our hearts and lead the transforming and renewal of our minds. Without His help, we cannot adequately follow Him. In other words, we are doomed without the help of the Holy Ghost, which will give us His guidance and advice in conducting our church, professional and personal lives.
When Jesus opened the ears and mouth of the deaf mute, He did for him what the Holy Ghost will do for us, if we will but let Him open first our ears to hear, then our mouths to testify, communicate and direct. We must lead people to God, not try to push them. Thus, we need to strive, each of us, to follow God more closely so we can pull on the lead rope. Leading requires being in front of the people you are attempting to lead, having them follow your example towards an objective. Study Jesus’ life, He is a perfect example of a leader. We cannot ever be perfect, but we can strive for that perfection in our actions.
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 Eleventh Sunday after Trinity
AGAINST PRIDE
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
In arguing with God about Sodom, “And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27). If Abraham is indeed our father in faith, then we know that we are worth no more than him. And if Abraham is only dust and ashes, we are of his same race: dust and ashes. We have no reason for boasting of anything, nothing to be proud of.
As for those who march through the streets every year in June to show their ultra-minority sexual pride, it would do no harm to remind them that they were first created and that they are dust and ashes like us, and that like us, they owe their lives to their Creator (Genesis 2:7): “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” The only thing we can be proud of is not our sin, but that we are made in the image of God: male and female – not male or female, as you might like to choose! (Genesis 1:27) “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” And God’s plan was aimed at the fruitfulness of men (Genesis 1:28a): “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it”. Forming couples that are inherently infertile has never been in God’s will. This is sinning.
But there is worse than marching through the streets in scantily clad clothes waving multicolored striped flags, and our Lord Jesus Christ reminds us of this in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. Indeed, marching in the streets is nothing but vain propaganda and adolescent provocation. This approach is most often counterproductive, because it is shocking many, and many homosexuals turn away from it, because they feel embarrassed by it. It goes to show that the consciousness of sin remains, even in the deepest of degradations. And there is something worse than boasting before men by manifesting a guilty solidarity in sin: it is to boast before the Eternal God, attributing oneself some personal merit. We have no merit in anything, and if we have deserved anything, it is eternal hell. For we are all rebellious to God, disobedient, insensitive to His love and His rights over us who are His creatures.
Our Lord Jesus Christ puts these boasters of all kind and half naked in their rightful place. (Luke 18:9): “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” That is the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. But first, who are they? Jesus does not name them. It is therefore a general parable, applicable to each and every one of us.
What does the dictionary actually say? A Pharisee is a Jew who separates himself from other Israelites to live in strict observance of the written Law and the oral tradition of the scribes, and whom the Gospels accuse of formalism and hypocrisy. A French author from Brittany, a disbeliever but educated Celt, gives this truculent description of it: “A Pharisee was an infallible and impeccable man, a pedant certain to be right, taking the first place in the synagogue, praying in the streets, giving alms to the sound of a trumpet, seeing if he is greeted.” You may recognize Ernest Renan. And according to the Christian author François Mauriac, “the Pharisee has only the ostentation of piety, of virtue; he is a false devotee who believes that he embodies perfection and truth, strictly observing a dogma and rites; he recognizes by this the right to judge others severely, to condemn their conduct under the guise of doing them a service”, but he does so according to his own criteria – not those of the Bible, or else by arranging them in his own way. The French philosopher Alain published this definition in 1913: “The Pharisee is a man who believes in God, and who believes that God is pleased with him […] Whoever offends the Pharisee offends God: ‘Lord, you are righteous; You know my mind and my heart […] the moral light, the political light, it is I who have it. All perfection works through me […] therefore I have no right to forgive.’” Isn’t that thoroughly horrific?
As for the publican, still according to the same dictionary of the French language, he is a public man, a civil servant. There were two levels among them: on the one hand, they could be rich Roman knights who took over the collection of taxes. They paid the taxes owed to Caesar for the entire population of their jurisdiction, and repaid themselves by taxing those who were liable, often far beyond what was due, as Zacchaeus confessed to Jesus when he visited him (Luke 19:6-8): “And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.”
In the old French Penal Code, it was a crime, the crime of bribery, punishable by the highest penal Court. Today, it is only a misdemeanor, but the penalties have remained the same: 5 years of imprisonment and a €200,000 fine, unique and non-negotiable. On the other hand, the same term “publican” referred to the subordinate employees of these Roman knights, generally chosen from the local population. All of them were despised and hated by the people, and attracted this hatred and contempt by their authoritarianism and an air of superiority which they knew how to make their constituents feel, for whom they had no particular regard nor special tenderness, to say the least.
Typically, this is how Caesar’s public servants address the sovereign Creator, in the mouth of Jesus Christ (Luke 18:11-12): “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess”. Yes, the tax collector is a thief, like those to whom John the Baptist addresses this harangue (Luke 3:12-13): “Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.” Yes, the tax collector was unjust; Man is weak and the temptation is great to abuse the power given by public authority, at a time when controls were almost non-existent. No, the tax collector does not fast twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, because he works for the Romans who do not fast. And no, he does not give tithes of all his income, unless he is converted, like Zacchaeus in the presence of Jesus Christ: “Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.” When Zacchaeus opens his heart and his wallet in repair, it is much more than the tithe he pays all at once: not 10% of his income but 50% of his capital, and 400% of what he received in excess of what was due. The main interest in the spiritual leads to a total disinterest in the material affairs.
In our parable, the publican accuses himself not of what he does, but of what he is – a sinner (Luke 18:13): “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” He rolls himself in dust and ashes, well aware that he has deserved the rejection of everyone in general, and of God in particular. Note the major difference between the Pharisee and the publican: if the publican believes in God and humbles himself before His Majesty, the Pharisee believes in himself and in his good works to deserve God’s approval, which he seems to take as a carpet seller with whom one could negotiate a discount to make a good deal. What a horrible mistake!
Which one do you think is closer to the truth? The Pharisee or the publican? Jesus gives us the answer: (Luke 18:14): “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Let us not seek to justify ourselves by puffing ourselves up with pride before God and rolling our machines to the tune of techno-music, perched on the imperial of a double-decker bus which is for the Creator the cart of the condemned, but let us roll in dust and ashes, for this is what we are made of, and this is what we are worth in the eyes of God, we and our so-called good works. The true Pride of Christians is what the Church manifests every year, every Ash Wednesday, at the beginning of Lent, “… for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Even to Zacchaeus, Jesus gave this command (Luke 19:5b): “Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.”
This is the Gospel that Paul reminds the Corinthians, whose inhabitants were not known for their modesty, enriched as they were by the rights of passage of boats by land on scrolls. This Gospel of humility by which “… ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:2b). What can we be proud of, when “Christ died for our sins“? (verse 3). And Paul goes on to say (verses 4-8): “And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.”
It is often preached about the joy and relief that the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ brings to His faithful. But we must not forget the shame that the same Jesus Christ inspires in us when He saves us out of love, when we have all deserved the opposite, in hell. If God has saved us, it is therefore only by His grace, by a decree of His will alone. We have no merit in this salvation given to us by grace (verse 10): “… by the grace of God I am what I am …”, Paul says.
And the same Paul adds (verses 10b): “… and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Who are we in relation to Paul? evangelists who spread the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ in many foreign lands? Who are we in relation to Our Lord Jesus Christ? Bearers of His cross like Simon of Cyrene climbing with Him the slope of Mount Golgotha? We have done nothing of the likeness. We are useless and fruitless servants. And yet we have received the grace of God. We have nothing to brag about before God. All we have to do is roll in dust and ashes, and this is what our bodies will become again, once we have left our bodies of flesh and flown to heaven with our spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:42b-44): “It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” “… so we preach, and so ye believed.” (1 Corinthians 15:11b).
We must put an end once and for all to this human pride that pushes us to boast of what we are – because we are dust and ashes – or of what we have been able to do well – because we have not done anything worthwhile that is likely to save us. Only the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, His total abandonment and His unwavering trust in the Father’s will and power to raise Him from the dead on the third day, is effective in saving us (Titus 2:11-14): “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Ephesians 2:8): “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”
Let us give thanks to God who created and elected us before we were born, to Jesus Christ our Lord who redeemed us for His Father, to the Holy Spirit who dwells in us and convinces us of the truth of the Gospel, and to the Church who has transmitted and taught us this Good News of salvation, which has freed us from pride and the slavery of sin. 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.
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
In our Old Testament lesson (Isaiah 29:18-24) we were heard the prophet speak not only of a near-term event in his day, but of something that will transpire in the future. Look again at verse 20 wherein we read that, For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off. In the prophet’s day, the Assyrian king Sennacherib was preparing his army to march against King Hezekiah of Judah. The Assyrians were well known by the 8th century B.C. as a cruel and vicious people. They were approaching the land of Judah with an army which likely exceeded two hundred thousand strong. The bulk of that force would eventually lay siege to Jerusalem. In the face of so great a host, the LORD informed the prophet that he would preserve the city and turn Sennacherib back. In a later chapter (37:33-37), the prophet set forth the details of the invasion and siege by the Assyrian army, as well as its destruction.
What a relief it must have been for the people of Jerusalem to see the corpses of the Assyrians who only the day before were making their preparations for their attack upon the city. This miracle was accomplished by one angel who passed through the Assyrian camp and slew the whole lot of them. Sennacherib’s military campaign against Judah was further complicated by news that the Ethiopian king, Tirhakah, was approaching to do battle with him. The Assyrian king was then in command of a much smaller force which had been besieging another town. Finding the bulk of his army destroyed, the king retreated to his own land only to die at the hands of two of his sons (37:38).
The scorning leadership of the Assyrian army were defeated by him who has never known defeat. The mocking comments by Rabshakeh — or “chief cup bearer” of the king (36:2-20) — were silenced along with the destruction of the entire Assyrian army assigned to take Jerusalem. God had been angered by the Assyrian king’s hubris, while at the same time he was pleased by King Hezekiah’s
humbleness (37:1-7). Humility on the part of the kings of Israel and Judah was a rare commodity and God rewarded Hezekiah for his recognition that he, the LORD, was his sure defence in the face of such an overwhelming force.
Across the millennia, Satan’s minions have sought to harm all those who are in the camp of God. Sennacherib’s campaign against the kingdom of Judah is just one of many examples we might consider. Others, such as Amalek (Deuteronomy 25:17-19); Haman (Esther 3:1-13); as well as the wicked rulers of Edom (Obadiah 10-14) are fit examples as well for God did indeed curse and crush those wicked men. And let us also not omit God’s judgment on those traitors within the congregation of his people. Just as Jeroboam (I Kings 12:25-33)and Ahab (I Kings 21:17-26) had sought to turn the people from their worship of the LORD by following after false deities, so too did God judge and destroy their houses.
While God does not delight in the destruction of the wicked (Ezekiel 18:23), he will pour out his wrath upon all who have succumbed to Satan which includes those who would seek to harm his own. The prophets of old were given God’s laundry list of offenders who would suffer his wrath. Consider those on his short list without regard to chronology.
The prophet Nahum was given to prophesy about destruction of Nineveh—the capital of ancient Assyria (3:7) when he wrote: And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee, shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste; who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?. Isaiah prophesied against Damascus (17:1) saying, … it shall be a ruinous heap. Ezekiel prophesied
against the great city of Tyre (26:1-6) saying, … I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea… Jeremiah prophesied against the wickedness of Moab and said that he, … shall be destroyed from being a people (49:42) on account of their idolatry and their trust in riches. Again, while the aforementioned offenders were not the only ones; nevertheless, all of the above had taken advantage of God’s people either through the transmission of idolatry, conquest or mistreatment.
And while the above are Old Testament examples; in the New Testament, God has promised to bring vengeance upon all who persecute his church (See II Thessalonians 1:5-10; and St. Jude 14-15). And God is going to deal with those who have rejected his Christ as well as those who have sought and are seeking to destroy the descendants of Jacob. God loves Israel with an everlasting love. He promised their forefathers that he would, in spite of their stiffnecked and refusenik attitude, eventually restore them. The LORD gave the prophet Jeremiah to proclaim to those same disobedient and backsliding people of his day that, Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers … which … they brake … but this shall be the covenant that I will make … after those days, saith the LORD. I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people (31:31-33).
The prophet then wrote the following: Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and stars for light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever… If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that have done, saith the LORD (31:35-37).
Other prophets such as Ezekiel (36:16-38), Daniel (9:20-27), Micah (4:1-13; 5:1-15) and Zechariah (2:8-12; 8:1-8) were given to speak concerning the regathering and reclamation of the nation because from it would come the Messiah — the deliverer for all mankind. All who will love and seek after him will be freed from their sins and trespasses. And all, therefore, who trust in him shall never be confounded (I St. Peter 2:6).
But Satan and his minions have sought to undo the eternal plan of God to restore his creation and vanquish evil for ever. So we should not be surprised to see the devil using his puppet rulers upon the earth as instruments in his schemes to short-circuit God’s plan of redemption. As Sennacherib was dismayed and forced to retreat, so shall the same happen to all who come against God’s plan and purpose for his own.
Are there days in your life when the forces of darkness seem to surround you? Do you hear the taunts and the malicious remarks of those who bear not the blood of Christ upon them? It may seem that such people will overwhelm you but be of good cheer, . . . because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world (I St. John 4:4). We have the Holy Ghost the Comforter. We have the Spirit of the living God within us. Yes, we will face trials and tribulations, but we know who our Lord is. He has promised us in his word written that he, … will never leave [us] nor forsake [us] (Hebrews 13:5). We also know that on a predetermined day in the future, God will bring his judgment upon all who will follow after the Beast of Revelation (13 & 14). The apostle Paul noted that this man of sin and son of perdition (II Thessalonians 2:3) shall be consumed by the Lord with the spirit of his mouth, and shall be destroyed with the brightness of his coming (II Thessalonians 2:8). This evil man will oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God. He will also be worshipped… as God… in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God (II Thessalonians 2:4). The arrogance and hubris of this man of sin will exceed even that of Sennacherib in his pronouncements to King Hezekiah. The same force who was behind the wicked Sennacherib will thus find his masterpiece of evil in a human agent— the Antichrist.
No doubt such people may cause us grief, but the Bible tells us that people like Sennacherib will come and go. The vicious, the hateful as well as those who vex our souls and dampen our spirits will be present with us as long as we are in this world. But we know in whom we trust. We know that our good and gracious God has not left us without a Comforter. We know that at his right hand is our Saviour who will do for us in ways that we can hardly perceive beforehand, but will, nevertheless, be made abundantly clear through their operation before our eyes.
So let us trust in Christ Jesus our Lord and lean upon him. For in his strength we find strength. In his love we find grace. In his forbearance we find mercy. And in his righteous judgment we, who were formerly fit subjects of God’s wrath, are now justified by his blood. Let us therefore go forth and proclaim his message of salvation to all that they too might turn unto him and be saved from his wrath to come.
Let us pray,
O holy and righteous God, whose mighty hand no power can turn away; protect us from all the evil plans and designs of the devil, that we might better serve thee in this life as we look for that life to come; and these things we ask in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 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
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Colossians 3:22-4:6
Servanthood, Vocation, Mission, Purpose
There is so many concepts packed into our (Second Lesson) New Testament lesson this morning.
We are looking at servanthood, vocation, mission, and purpose.
- Servanthood: what do I mean by this term? If we look at the work ethic of most areas of employment, whether private or public, we see a severe lack of service to the job. How often do we find that something has been done half way or in a slipshod manner, no pride is taken in getting the job done well, on time, or correct? Why does this seem to be happening? If we remove God from the workplace, a supreme being who sees all, then the worker can do anything they want. We see this trend coming into modern Western society over the last 200 years. With the advent of the Darwinian or Marx/Engel concept of humanity, there is no heaven, there is no supreme being to judge or notice our daily labors, it is all about today. If you remove God from society then you will have an “anything goes” attitude about life. ‘I don’t have to worry about my behavior, because there will be no consequences for such behavior.’ Gone is the idea that you work for the Glory of God, not for the master/employer. The idea of doing a good job because it reflects upon the Lord seems to have taken a back seat. Workers just want to be compensated, level or quality of production is not a key to that compensation. “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: 23And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” (Colossians 3:22-23)
I saw this attitude in schools. The twenty-eight years of experience in public schools showed me a student body that was less interested in learning for the reward of learning but instead learned for the reward of a high mark. The average student didn’t seem to look at the skill of learning new concepts or techniques rather the question came up regularly.. “what is in it for me, or will I get a grade for this or how much is this worth?” Very seldom was there any idea of ‘…do it heartily, as to the Lord…’ .
Even in the secular-progressive school systems, the idea of learning for the sheer pleasure of obtaining a new skill or concept, rather there/is the emphasis on how this will translate into earning power or job advancement is center of most student driven work
. 2. Vocation: what do we mean by vocation? Is it possible to seek a profession that will aid in the advancement of the Kingdom of God rather than the advancement of the individual who undertakes that profession? Now understand there is no prohibition towards wealth in the Bible.
The warning is against the abuse or misuse of that wealth or placing that wealth in the way of worshiping the Lord. That is not the issue here. What I mean is the idea of doing a job because it serves the Lord. Learning a skill or profession that will reflect one’s belief in the Creator, rather than just help that individual earn a living. I think we have lost the concept of vocation in Western civilization. “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. 5Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” (Collosians 4:6,5)
- Mission: closely connected to vocation is the idea or concept of mission. Some could argue that they are one in the same. Not necessarily. Let us look at the concept of mission. Defining mission as ‘reaching your community for Christ’, we can see that pertains to where ever one lives. “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 3Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ,…” (Colossians 4:2-3) You do not have to travel to far off countries to find a mission in life. Everyday is a day on the mission field. This is why it is important to do your job well and without complaint. If you look around, there are many folk who are complaining about their work, grousing about the boss, the job, the workplace..all the while happily cashing the pay check at the end of the pay period. What is wrong with that? The non-believer looks at a professed Christian who behaves this way and thinks, why bother with Christ? They behave like everyone else, what is the point of this belief system if it is just like the world I live in? Remember, non-believers are watching everything we do, we are constantly on display. ‘…not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God.’ A believer should be doing their job to please God. So our mission is to do whatever we do heartily as to the Lord and not unto man. This will as a side effect cause the non-believer to see that we are different from everyone else, we do reflect the Lord in all we do and say.
- Purpose: now what is our purpose? It is actually twofold. We do our best for the Lord because we will be rewarded. God has promised us the inheritance of the Kingdom. “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:24) We are given citizenship in the Kingdom when we accept the Lord Jesus as our savior. When we accept the gift that God sent us, His only Begotten Son, who died for our sins, died in our place, died to make us free from the bondage of Hell; it is then that we receive that inheritance. The second part has already been stated. It is our mission to lead others to Christ through our daily behavior in the work-a-day world that all of us are involved in, even those of us who are no longer working for pay. Ok, now what do I mean by that? All of us, in all of our daily activity, reflect the Lord. We need to guard against anything that would reflect in a negative way upon the Lord. Yes, we sin daily. That is why we should pray the Lord’s Prayer. It daily reminds us to ask for forgiveness as well as purpose, mission, vocation and even servanthood. Think about it. It all comes together in that simple prayer:
OUR Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, As it is in heaven. Give this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Bishop Roy Morales-Kuhn
Rev Stephen Cooper Church of the Redeemer Fairbanks, Alaska
From time to time we are fortunate to receive a sermon from Rev Cooper in Fairbanks Alaska. The head of our northernmost church, Stephen is a brilliant and inspiring speaker. I wish we had video of him rather than just audio; but I am confident you will enjoy this. This sermon is for last week. Please take the time to listen to it.
Eleventh Sunday after Trinity:
Please click on the link below to listen to this wonderful sermon:
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, Jim, Dotty, Sue, Sandra, Madison & Hilda, Steve, Josh Morley, Jennifer, AOC USA, AOC Missions, Tommy and Vikki, Noel and Camella, Luke, Jacquie, Harper, Genie, Bishop Zephaniah,
Prayer Needed:
Linda – 20 Years with Multiple Myeloma, in remission for sometime,
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.
Katie Pope – Just beginning treatment for Stage 4 Puminary Carcinoma “Is anything to hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)
The Price Family for loss of their daughter/sister/wife/ Mother – Bobby
Jan Jessup – Neuro-dementia and her husband, Roger
Bobby and Vikki Breland – the loss of their daughter
Tommy and Vikki for comfort for the Loss of their brother/brother-in-law, Jeremy.
Malcom Allred – Cancer Treatment
Joe and his sister – finally found their estranged adult sister and she is beset with terminal issues and mental health issue.
Bishop Zephaniah – Medical Issues
Jim Kniffen – Knee Replacement Surgery – August 20th 8:30 am
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.
Praise Reports:
Brenda’s voice has been recovered and she has been healed!
