Sermon Notes - Rogation Sunday - Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide - 22 May 2022, Anno Domini

  

The Collect for The Fifth Sunday after Easter, 

commonly called Rogation Sunday.

 

The Collect.

 

O

 LORD, from whom all good things do come; Grant to us thy humble servants, that by thy holy inspiration we may think those things that are good, and by thy merciful guiding may perform the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

 

 

V

ERILY, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.   (John 16:23-33)

  

The Sermon Notes

And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

Christ must go to be with His Father. We can not ask Him anything during this separation except of the Father in the name of Christ.

 

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. 

Now, we are entitled to ask for all things in Christ’s name. Why? Because He has paid the price. He has completed the redemption. He has given us a Power of Attorney to execute His work and will by His authority. But the responsibility attending the Power of Attorney is always to act, not in our own interest, but in the interst of Him who grants that Power of Attorney.

 

That is why we always ask for the things that it is the Lord’s will to grant to us. “Thy will be done…”

 

These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.

With the coming of the Holy Spirit, we are made to understand the parables and proverbs of Jesus through a mysterious working in our hearts.

 

At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: ²⁷ For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. 

A very loving comment here by Jesus telling us it is not even necessary for Him to intercede on our behalf always, because the Father has received us as His own Sons and Daughters – a heritage we share with His only Begotten Son. The Father loves us so much, that Christ need not remind Him of that love.

 

     ²⁸ I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. ²⁹ His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. ³⁰ Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. ³¹ Jesus answered them,

They believe they now understand, but are totally devoid of the great drama about to unfold.   They believe that Christ will be lifted up to the Father perhaps as Elijah, in a grand chariot. They cannot conceive that He will be tortured and abused, and murdered, for them. They do not understand the NEED for this. Now we do, indeed, understand that a worthy sacrifice was required to redeem us of our sins.

 

Do ye now believe? (You believe that you know, but you know nothing as of yet. Look at what follows) ³² Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: (Even the courageous Peter, along with all the other disciples, shall hide and flee from the company of Jesus) and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.(When evil threatens our faith, we, too, are not alone. The Father is always with His own.)  ³³ These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. (To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Jesus is telling us these things that we may understand when men revile us and despise us for our faith)  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (Here is the patience of the saints. Though the cannons roar to right and left of our lines, the Color Bearer (not behind, or hesitant) is out front leading us against the Archenemy of the souls of men.) A good leader will never ask his subordinates to perform a role which He, Himself, has not done, and is not willing to do.

 

The King Omnipotent has won the Battle aforetime. He has overcome. We must rest in that certainty and proceed from victory to victory under the Ensign of Christ. We have already won despite the world’s perception. 

 

Live thusly!