AOC Two

  P URE  religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world .    (James 1:27)               I have heard shallow Christians claim they do not have a religion, they only claim Christ as Savior – sounds commendable, but untrue. Anyone who loves and follows Christ in bearing their cross must claim Him as the Way, the Truth and the Light. Religion not only includes faith, but the soul’s response to faith in outward works of righteousness. The 1828 Webster Dictionary of Noah Webster defines religion in this way:   Religion in its most comprehensive sense, includes a belief in the being and perfections of God, in the revelation of his will to man, in man's obligation to obey his commands, in a state of reward and punishment, and in man's accountableness to God; and also true godliness or ...

                 F OR  it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God .  (Romans 14:11)    This is a powerful and uplifting hymn written by Charles Wesley in 1739 to celebrate the conversion to Christ in 1938. He had already been ordained a deacon and priest, had traveled as an evangelist to Georgia (USA), but discovered that he did not have a saving knowledge of Christ. He was greatly inspired by the Moravian missionaries to a better understanding of his need for salvation. There are three tunes to which this hymn is sung:  Azmon  (Carl G. Glaser, arranged by Lowell Mason);  Arlington  (Thomas Arne’s opera, Artaxerxes); and  Stracathro  (by Charles Hutcheson). The latter two are included in the 1940 Hymnal, but my favorite, and the one most popular today, is  AZMON . There are three verses given in our Hymnal, but Wesley’s orig...

   Happy Second Sunday after Trinity! The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded  RIGHT HERE ! We have super sermons from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as Revs Jack and Bryan.  They are all really really good today, I beg you to read them.  Rev Jack brings the Propers together today.    His sermon can be viewed on video  HERE  -> https://youtu.be/vrjxLCrJyiE In the Collect, we acknowledge God will help and lead us, but only if we will look to Him for that help and leadership. The key being here we have to look to Him for said help and leadership.   The spiritually blind (us) cannot lead the blind (also us).  The Epistle is a great illustration of why we need guidance from the Holy Ghost all the time.  The world is not a nice place and at times it gets depressing to be in. John says we should not be surprised that the world hates us.  The Gospel focuses on prioritization.  It calls us to put the things that are really...

Rev Jack brings the Propers together today.    His sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video  HERE  ->   https://youtu.be/vrjxLCrJyiE   In the Collect, we acknowledge God will help and lead us, but only if we will look to Him for that help and leadership. The key being here we have to look to Him for said help and leadership.   The spiritually blind (us) cannot lead the blind (also us).  The Epistle is a great illustration of why we need guidance from the Holy Ghost all the time.  The world is not a nice place and at times it gets depressing to be in. John says we should not be surprised that the world hates us.  The Gospel focuses on prioritization.  It calls us to put the things that are really important in the list of things to do above the things that are not really important.  It all comes together.  Having trouble visualizing that?  Read or listen to R...

                                                  Second Sunday after Trinity. The Collect.   O  LORD , who never failest to help and govern those whom thou dost bring up in thy stedfast fear [1]  and love; Keep us, we beseech thee, under the protection of thy good providence, and make us to have a perpetual fear and love of thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.     A ND  when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.  16  Then said he unto him,  A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:  17  And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; fo...

  Second Sunday after Trinity. The Collect.   O  LORD , who never failest to help and govern those whom thou dost bring up in thy stedfast fear [1]  and love; Keep us, we beseech thee, under the protection of thy good providence, and make us to have a perpetual fear and love of thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.   The Collect Perhaps beyond any other consideration, it is the SECURITY of the believer in Christ that gives the greatest comfort and confidence. We have an unfailing LORD who is able to save to the uttermost, and He will not lose any soul placed in His hands by the Father. The process by which our security is assured is through the means of His great help to those who call upon Him, and in His righteous governance in the hearts of those who claim Him as Sovereign of their souls. This governance begins in the fear which a lost soul feels for his unforgiven sins, and is consummated in the deep love that the sinner feels for H...

F OR  the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars .     (2 Chrinicles 16:9)                 Many men and women of good report would suffer damage to their reputations if their most guarded secrets were found out and published in world journals. Should we not be aware that nothing goes without the notice of Almighty God. He not only knows the secrets of our outward actions, but also the inward-most secret thoughts of our hearts. Nothing is hidden from the observance of God – “ Behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out .”  (Numbers 32:23b)  As Adam & Eve, we stand naked in our sins before the Throne of God.               ...