AOC Two

Happy Whitsunday!  The AOC Sunday Report is  RIGHT HERE ! The Christian holiday of Pentecost, which is celebrated the 49th day (the seventh sunday) after Easter Sunday,[2] commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31). The holiday is also called "White Sunday" or "Whitsunday" or "Whitsun", especially in the United Kingdom, where traditionally the next day, Whit Monday, was also a public holiday (since 1971 fixed by statute on the last Monday in May). In German, Pentecost is called Pfingsten, developed through contracting the Greek term pen[te]k[os]te, and often coincides with scholastic holidays and the beginning of many outdoor and springtime activities, such as festivals and organized outdoor activities by youth organizations. The Monday after Pentecost is a legal holiday in ma...

Pentecost which is commonly called Whitsunday and the time of Whitsuntide The Christian holiday of Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31). The octave (8 days) following Whitsunday. In the Book of Common Prayer, the Monday and Tuesday after Whitsunday are Red Letter days, so called because days provided with a proper Collect (prayer), Epistle, and Gospel were marked in the calendar in red ink. "Whitsuntide" (formerly also spelled "Whitsontide") or "Whitsun Week" is derived from  whitsonday , from Old English  hwita sunnandæg , "White Sunday", in reference to the white ceremonial robes formerly worn on this day. Whitsunday marks the Feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles on the 50 th  day after Easter. It ranks, after Easter, as th...

A ND  the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them,  Let us pass over unto the other side.   36  And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.  37  And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  38  And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?  39  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,  Peace, be still.  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  40  And he said unto them,  Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?   41  And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?     (Mark 4:35-41)     ...

G REATER  love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you .  (John 15:13-19) There is one young British officer of the past whom I hold in the highest esteem – Donald Hankey [1] (1884-1916). He was commis...

L AY  not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also .   (Matthew 6:19-21)             We are today midway between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. It is a remarkably good time to consider the riches of loving parents.. Our true wealth is not denominated by gems, metals, estates or apparel – but rather from the storehouse of love we have vested in our children, or parents, or brothers & sisters, or our husbands or wives, and the romantic darlings of our lives. Those are treasures that do not rust or perish. In fact, the love we bear others is on deposit at a level that cannot be accessed by thieve...

A ND   Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions?    if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word .    (1 Kings 18:21)             Has the heart of man changed since the beginning of time? No, not as long as it remains in his ownership and will; but the heart of man assumes an altogether different nature when it is owned by the Lord Jesus Christ! That ownership is transferred from man to God by the secret and silent urgings of the Holy Ghost in the deep and unseen chambers of the heart. The Elect are drawn as if by an iron hook in the jaw to the shores of salvation by the mighty Fisherman of Galilee. There is a time for decision, and that time is ALWAYS NOW! When you consider what point in time we own, it is a razor thin sliver on the dial that represents merely the exact PRESENT. After saying that,...

Happy Sunday after Ascension Day! The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded  RIGHT HERE ! We have great sermons from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as Revs Jack and Bryan.  Each is different,  I am aware I say that most Sundays, but that is because it is true.  I think it is even more true today, but you can be the judge. There are a lot of people who need your prayers, in particular Shamu, Bob and Matt.  Spend some time praying, please.  Please pray also for all our countries around the world that their governments might properly assess the Covid danger and act accordingly. Tomorrow is Memorial Day, the day we remember those who have given their lives in defense of our freedoms.  Please take a bit of time to reflect on the sacrifices made on your behalf before you give up any of that precious freedom. There is a great week ahead, with the help of the Holy Ghost you can find it, but you have to invite Him into your heart. Godspeed, Hap ...

The Sunday after Ascension Day . The Collect. O   GOD , the King of glory, who hast exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven; We beseech thee, leave us not comfortless; but send to us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us un-to the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.   Amen. The  Collect for Sunday after Ascension follows logically the observance of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is perfectly timely and natural that we, having observed our Lord ascend, should now desire the promised comforter -  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you .   (John 14:18)  This word ‘leave means, in the Greek, to divorce or to sever all legal connection. Christ will not disown His people even if He has departed to a High Station. Many of our friends may forget who we ar...