AOC Two

G O  to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.    ( Proverbs 6:6-11)               T HE  ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer .   ( Proverbs 30:25)             Napoleon Bonaparte was a tiny man by military standards – tiny in physical size, but a giant of military tactical and strategic genius. So was Beethoven small of stature but a giant in musical composition. Size is a matter of perspective. David was a small lad armed only with a sling and five smooth stones, yet he was victor over Goliath the Giant who was armed to the teeth.               Perhaps my exalted title to this

  Happy Trinity Sunday! The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded  RIGHT HERE ! Today we have super sermons from our normal contributors, Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as Revs Jack and Bryan. Somehow we all managed to get on the same lectionary today, you will really enjoy them.  Rev Jack's sermon is available on video  RIGHT HERE . There are a lot of people who need your prayers, please start with Shamu, the Lee family and those who have gone before us, particularly those who lost their lives in defense of our country and their families. Monday is Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember those members of our Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice, without whose sacrifice we would not be free.  This is not a day to thank a veteran, probably it is the only day of the year that it is not the day for that.  All veterans heard the country’s call and answered.  They were not those who would not hear.  But, those of us here today are the fortunate ones, for whatever reason we made

Rev Jack's sermon can be viewed on video  RIGHT HERE . Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action Church of the Faithful Centurion Descanso, California Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.    Today’s sermon covers the basic concept of the Triune God, that is the Father, Son and Holy Ghost and how they were introduced to us through time and the Bible in particular; it draws the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.   Consider these words from the Collect:   … acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity…   In the Collect, we acknowledge there is a Triune God, that is to say there are three aspects of God; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.  A Triune God means literally Three in One, not three separate Gods or godlets, but a single being with three aspects.  How does this work?   Th

  Trinity Sunday. The Collect.   A LMIGHTY  and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; We beseech thee that thou wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, world without end.  Amen.   Trinity Season marks the last half of the Christian Calendar Year. The first half, beginning with the Advent Season, define the great doctrines of the Church. The last half, Trinity, define our response to the works of Christ and our duties to God.    Trinity Sunday is the day that links the two halves together. Both the offer of free grace made available in Christ by the acts of the first half are equally important to our response to that grace through faith unto good works required by the teaching of the second half. We begin the Church year by the promise of God t

  W HE REFORE  take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness ;     (Ephesians 6:13-14)               There are times and circumstances that require great courage to stand and not shrink in the face of some danger. It is a thing common to the human condition. We may know to do the right thing, and even desire to do so, but are intimidated by the challenge to ‘stand’ that faces us. But when convictions reign so strongly in the heart that compromise is not possible, it is that moment that the heroism of faith comes to light resulting in something that seems beyond human ability to understand. Such heroism is not relegated to only the physically strong, but is sparingly stamped on the character of rich and poor, young or old, and the privileged as well as the unprivileged alike. Heroism is a God-like feature th

The Propers for today are found on Page 186-188, with the Collect first:   Trinity Sunday. The Collect.   A LMIGHTY  and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; We beseech thee that thou wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, world without end.  Amen.   This morning’s Epistle was written in the Fourth Chapter of the Revelation of Saint John the Divine beginning at the First Verse.  John attempts to show us the majesty and glory of heaven using words.  The picture he paints is intended to be awe inspiring and seems to meet that goal handily:    A FTER this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which