“No disaster is greater than underestimating the enemy.”

Chinese philosopher Lao Tse, who wrote:

"Love the sinner, hate the sin" Is not to be found anywhere in the Bible. The Author is Mahatma Gandhi.




 
 

Seventh Sunday after Trinity – Rev'd Paul Taylor, LL.M.

This is a miracle story. Consider this: There were all these people - four thousand -out there in the wilderness. They've been with Jesus, following him around, for about three days.

Jesus said, How many loaves do you
have?" They said, "Seven. But how are you going to feed all these people
with seven loaves?" That wasn't the point. He asked the question, "How
many loaves do you have? You give me what you've got and I'll work a
miracle."

That's the point of the story. "You give me what you've got and I can
transform it. I can change it. I can make it grow. I can make it
beautiful." And that's what he did. From the seven loaves handed over to
him, he fed four thousand.

Throughout Scripture, we read of event after event where God takes a
little bit and creates an abundance. I think one of the most wonderful
stories in all of the Old Testament is the story of Abraham and Sarah.
If you remember the story in the book of Genesis, God sent his angel to
talk to Abraham about being the father of a great nation. "Your
descendants will be as numerous as the sand on the seashore and the
stars in the sky. You're going to have a son within the year."
Abraham and Sarah were in their nineties yet the promise was kept.

In the New Testament, we have another example of God taking something
very little and making a lot. The angel Gabriel appeared to a young girl
named Mary and asked her to be the mother of God.

The most precious thing that you and I have is our will: our ability to
say "yes!" to God.
The surrender of our wills to God. That is the very
essence of our religion. This is what Jesus came into the world to do,
to give us an example. "Not as I will it, Father, but as you will it."
The same prayer is ours. "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in
heaven." The surrender of our wills is at the very core of who we are,
of our religion, of our faith. As we surrender ourselves to God, he can
take that little bit and he can bless it and multiply it. In the
fulfillment of God's will, we can see real growth, experience real joy.
That is the essence of true religion.

Surely, God can work a miracle with seven loaves of bread. But if that
fellow didn't show up with those seven loaves of bread or decided, "I'm
not going to give away these loaves of bread. I'm going to hang onto
them", four thousand people wouldn't have been fed. But that person gave
up that little bit for the sake of a miracle.

It's the same with you and me. What is most precious to us, we surrender
to our God. This morning as we offer the Eucharist, this is what we
offer - ourselves. Our bodies, our souls, our minds, our wills -
everything that we have - we surrender to our God. We ask our God to
multiply his blessings upon us. We know that he will continue to work
his miracle in us if we but surrender to him.

C of E (IMHO)
The C of E is the established church of England, but yet does not receive financing from the government. The government, however, does get to pick the archbishop.

Several years ago WO was proposed and the legal opinion was that it was a change of conditions under British law that would require that anyone that was unhappy to be pensioned off. The cost of a large bailout of clergy would bankrupt the C of E.

Under Lord Carey, then the Archbishop, almost no clergy left. C of E was saved. Some effects are that many building are now mosques, few people attend, and religion is optional.

Now women now demanding to be bishops and what this will mean? My humble opinion is that it will mean nothing. The “unhappy” clergy did not leave before. They will not leave now.

The sad truth is that very few people attend the C of E any more. So what the clergy does is irrelevant. Disestablishment is being debated behind closed doors. C of E is no longer a source of strength for the government but rather a liability.

Many of the clergy are Anglo Catholics spikes. Bishop Cranmer would not know who these people were. Neither would the medieval popes.
There are theological reasons for not converting but Anglo Catholics are not keen on theology. Whenever questioned about anything they just say its catholic. Reason, knowledge, and common sense are excluded from the mix.

The current pope is making a pitch for them to come to Rome. In practice this is unlikely as it was in the States.
They have to be re ordained if qualified
They won't be able to spike.
They will have to use the new catholic liturgy
They will have to submit to catholic order and discipline.

Then there are the other questions that has been a stumbling blocks here in the States.
Their orders are not recognized.
No catholic education
No respect for authority. Everyone does his thing.
Divorces
unacceptable baggage

The fact that they worship the missal and not Jesus Christ would not be a stumbling block, however, the missal is a joke in the Roman Church.

So will the C of E consecrate women bishops? Absolutely. Will there be an exodus? No.

As an aside here in th USA the line in the sand keeps getting moved with every new change in practice and doctrine. The base standard, despite the quasi pious pronouncements, is happy clappy 79 with some some Anglo Catholics. All are brain dead.

In the USA the Robinson consecration had people leave. Almost no one went into the dying continuing churches. Instead the “powers” that be, formed new structures. People ignored what St Paul said about “powers”.

The new ACNA is the Titanic on steroids.
Four different theologies, WO and the 79 bcp and 1982 hymnal. The fact that these people stayed for 30 years shows that these people are brain dead.

Gafcon and Common Cause are in the same category.

It has be pointed out to me with a smile that we may see these people when we get to heaven. After all the Bible says the dead in Christ shall rise first.

PT

“If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there.”

Sixth Sunday after Trinity -Rev'd Paul Taylor, LL.M.
Revised 2005
Readings: Romans 6: 3-11 and Matthew 5: 20-26

The language used in the gospel lesson needs to be explained.
In ancient Hebrew raca means 'you blockhead'. It was a term of utter contempt.
A fool is an unbeliever. It was the worst thing you could say to a Jew. It was to trash him and hence in the original the reference to the dump that burned day and night. It is also a slang for hell or hell fire as see saw in todays lesson
The Sanhedren was a ruling body that also had the power to judge.

Jesus bluntly tells us that "Unless your holiness surpasses that of the scribes and pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of God." The scribes and pharisees kept the law literally; no more, no less. Jesus is saying, "there's more to it than that; much more than that." So, He talks about attitudes that you and I might have whereby we offend God and commit sin, not necessarily through an act, but even by the thought or word. This in itself can and should be seen as sinful. ". . .What I say to you is everyone who grows angry with his brother shall be liable to the judgment. Any man who uses abusive language toward his brother shall be answerable to the Sanhedrin and he who says thou fool trashes him and holds him in contempt, he risks the fires of hell or in the original gehenna.

Jesus is saying, "This is not the way that a Christian will behave toward another Christian in this new kingdom according to this new law."


Today as we offer this Eucharist and we offer ourselves, souls and
bodies, to God our Father, through and with Christ, let us remember that
one part of our body, that is, our tongue. Let us offer our tongues to
God, that they will be used only in praise of him.

July 4 - Rev. Paul Taylor, LL.M

The bible tells us that righteousness exults a nation and sin destroys it. Alexis de Tocqueville was later to say “America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!"

Righteousness is translated as strict adherence to the law of the old Testament. The law is designed to create just society and that is why it exalts the nation.
Deuteronomy points out that obeying the law creates wealth. Few read the bible. So I ask you to look at the Quakers. In a few generation Quakers tend to be wealthy materially because they adhere to the law. A similar analogy can be made with the Amish.
Sin on the other hand is destructive. One generation of sin will destroy several generations of wealth accumulation.
The problem is that we are all sinners. We are made righteous through Jesus Christ.
Through Christ we become the righteous of God. The people who came to America came were aware of this.

The earliest “governments” were based on the covenants of the old testament. These covenants became the foundations for the State constitutions and are copied into the Federal Constitution.

The people who formed this nation were not religious fanatics but they were people who believed in God and the righteousness of the Lord.
The declaration of independence references God.
They pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
All of the signers knelt in prayer.

They lost family, friends, and fortune. They retained their honor and and their faith in Almighty God.

President Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptist:
“The 1st amendment has created a wall of separation between church and state, but that wall is a one directional wall, it keeps the government from running the church, but it makes sure that Christian principles will always stay in government.”

Today we have a war against Christianity and Christian morals. It is illegal to pray in public. Harsh penalties await those who preach the gospel. All the major heresies that the apostolic fathers fought against are now preached in mainline churches. It is illegal to display the 10 commandments. Judges have disconnected from the people they serve. Justice for the people is quaint. Ruling for the special interest groups are common and PC ruling are the norm. Canon law is routinely enforced in the secular courts for PC churches. It is not PC to mention Easter. There is no Easter break in schools. There is spring break. There is a war on Christmas. Mentioning that some of the recent disasters might be punishment or at least a warning from God is truly frowned upon. The truly Godless media pounces like a cat on a hapless mouse.
Mentioning the bible and there is an injunction or fine. The Lord God of Israel that neither slumbers nor sleeps watches and judges. However, bleak things look one should remember that God is not mocked and he punishes the wicked.





Sin is a solvent. Sin dissolves the bonds between God and his people. Sin dissolves the covenant between God and his people.
Sin involves the separation from God. We no longer experience the peace of God that passes all understanding. We see nothing. We feel no spiritual connection with God. The peace of God has been replaced by new age spiritualism. These spirits that these people contact are not from God. It is spiritual heroin and they bring Stephen King characters into your life. What happens to the individual also happens to the nation.

A good America is a great America. This is a biblical truth. Secular humanism tell America that her greatness is her own efforts. The devil calls people to their weaknesses. God calls America to righteousness.

We should pause to remember that this country was founded by Christians to create a place where righteousness would be the guiding principle.

Isaiah said In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.
It is in returning to our religious roots that we will see that this is a nation that was founded by men of faith and deep religious conviction.

America is called to rest and return. This is difficult because of sin. God asks you to return and to rest in him. The Lord will overcome your enemies. A good America is a Great America.

Many Americans can only think in terms of secular solutions. Our political leaders always preach to the weak part of our souls.

God ask that you return to him. Secular humanism is bondage unto the devil. It is the sickness unto death. God asks you to return to him and you will find rest, and the peace of God that passes all understanding.

A good America is a great America


July 4, 2008

Determination is what you have just before you do something stupid

Confidence is what you have when you don't fully understand the situation

Traditional Anglican Church - Clergy Help Wanted

FAIRBANKS, ALASKA: Church of the Redeemer, a 1928 BCP parish founded in 1980, is searching for a Rector. Current membership 25, with several prospective members attending. Stipend/Pension: to be determined." additional income or resources necessary. Fairbanks has a population of 80,000. Two military bases and University of Alaska campus nearby. Temps 50's to 70's in summer, 10 to -30 in winter.
For more on the Church of the Redeemer, please write to:
Mr. Stephen Cooper, PO Box 71585, Fairbanks, AK 99707

Fairbanks general info:
http://www/state.ak.us
http://www/uaf.edu (Univ of Alaska)
Job-related info:
http://www.jobs.state.ak.us (State job service)
http://www.northstar.k12.ak.us/hr/recruit.html (School job listings)
http://www.news-miner.com (Local newspaper listings)
http://FairbanksHelpWanted.com (Commercial listings)
Housing and other area info:
http://www.co.fairbanks.ak.us/CommunityPlanning/CRC/ (download latest quarterly review)
http://www.fairbankschamber.org
http://www.fairnet.org
http://www.explorefairbanks.com
http://fairbanksak.usl.myareaguide.com

"Almighty God, we pray for the guidance of Thy Holy Spirit as we seek a new
minister for our church. Thou knowest our special needs and the task that
lies to our hand. In our search direct us, and give us insight to perceive
the leader Thou wouldst choose for us. And we further pray, O Lord, that in
this time of waiting we may all devote ourselves afresh to Thy service, so
that nothing be lost of the faithful work of the past, but rather that it
may be brought to a rich harvest in the years to come. This we ask in the
Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."



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Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. Their conviction resulted in untold sufferings for themselves and their families. Of the 56 men, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army. Another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships sunk by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in poverty. At the battle of Yorktown, the British General Cornwallis had taken over Thomas Nelson's home for his headquarters. Nelson quietly ordered General George Washington to open fire on the Nelson home. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. His fields and mill were destroyed. For over a year, he lived in forest and caves, returning home only to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion.
Kenneth L. Dodge, Resource, Sept./ Oct., 1992, p. 5.

TRINITY 5 LUKE v.i. - Rev'd - Paul Taylor, LLM

The fifth chapter of Luke referred to a turning point
in the ministry of Jesus.
He is no longer able to preach in the Synagogues. So
he take his message to the great out doors.
John Wesley remarked that he loved comfortable churches to
preach in, but he said field preaching saves souls.

Why, you might ask would someone preach from a boat.
The answer is because the sound carries very well over the
water and the water amplifies the sound so many can hear it. Jesus
saw the crowd and he saw the 2 boats. So he asked the
fishermen to let him preach from the boats. They wanted to
hear God's word. They showed their desire by letting him
use one of their boats.
When he had finished preaching he asked them to set
out into the deep to catch fish. They were experienced
fishermen and knew that in the clear water the fish would
see the boat and the nets. That is why they fished at
night. Not only had they fished all night, they had caught
nothing. What is remarkable they did not tell him no. He
said to go and they did. They did so by faith.

So in impossible fishing conditions they set out and
dropped their nets. When they lifted the nets, they were
full. So full that the nets began to break and the boat
began to sink and the other boat had to come and help with
the catch and it too began to sink. They were astonished!
So much that Peter said Lord I am a sinful man.

There are several messages that one can draw from this:

First: The word of God is to be preached to the people
wherever they gather. In fact the early word that the
Greeks had for church was inglesia, (the gathering of the
faithful). It is a duty of the Christian.

In many cases that means preaching outside the church
building. The best preaching is faithful Christian witness
to the risen Christ in our daily lives.
This is required because you are the church.

A Priest is only a servant who is to serve bread and
wine at the Lord's table, but you are the church.

Second we are to be receptive to the requests of the
Lord. As you see from the holy text they were receptive and
obedient. First they loaned him the use of their boat and
second they went to the deep to drop their nets, knowing it
was not humanly possible to catch fish in the daytime. For
most people, the disaster of life is that they give up just
one effort too soon. If you hear and obey the word of God
that won't happen to you.
Third you should turn and follow him. Look at the example of St.Peter. Peter said depart from me for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord.
Peter did like any man with a conscience, he was terrified to be near the Lord and wanted to flee. Peter by acknowldging his unworthiness became worthy.

In the midst of this great miracle he had forgotten his bible teachings.
The prophet Michah (7:18-19) tells us that God pardoneth iniquity and casts sins into the depths of the sea.
In Isaiah (43:22) ...(God says) I will not remember thy sins."

The Christ turned to him and said fear not. I will make you a fisher of men and and you will enlarge the Kingdom of God.

Fourth, there is a reward for following the commands of
the Lord. That reward is a miracle. A net breaking, boat
sinking miracle. God promises to you, miracles in your
life. So no matter how big your boat is, it is not big
enough to contain God's miracle. You should expect a
miracle. That is God's promise.

2005-07-06

Posted by admin on 2008/11/15 18:18:12 (104 reads)

This ministry has not been a success in starting a new parish. However, it has been helpful to some to see orthodox material posted.
I have been tempted at times to discontinue but there has been a readership and so I keep the page.

I no longer advertise this page. To my great surprise a short piece has gotten well over seven hundred reads. It has disappeared into archives so I will put the reference here in case any new readers want to read it.

Living in the Word
http://www.1928bcp.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=700

Blessings

Paul+

In a democracy you get the government you deserve

Anon

First Sunday after Trinity. - Rev'd Paul Taylor LL M

First Sunday after Trinity. Luke xvi:19; 1Jn iv:7.

The parables in the Bible are unique in that they are 1 dimensional.

This rich man was clothed in purple, the color of Caesar. So he is a traitor to Israel. This is probably the source of his wealth or perhaps how he kept his wealth during the Roman occupation. He dined sumptuously every day. This shows he did not work or keep the Sabbath day. The fourth commandment requires work six days and one day of rest. Even the servants are not to be worked.

So even with the economy of language and one dimensional characters we find a portrait of a man that was a traitor and violated the Ten Commandments. However, the parable does not say the man was not sent to hell for either of these things. The rich man never did anything to Lazarus. Lararus was sitting in his gates, clearly visable, yet he saw him not. It is for this he was sent to hell. A truly frightening concept.

I would note in passing that modern men are quick to say Jesus never said there was a hell, but here is one of his references to a place of utter torment.

This punishment for not noticing does not mean that God will give you a pass for violating the Ten Commandments. The one dimensional aspect of the parables shows much more is required. The sin of the rich man is that he could look at the suffering and sin of the day and not notice. You are called to look the suffering at your door.

The question this parable raises is what are we required to notice? In the day of the welfare state and safety nets, much of the begging done today is for drugs and alcohol and we tune out the sales pitch. There is no duty to support someone's addiction. The danger is that you will tune out the beggar who is at your door.

Jesus, in his earthly ministry, sought to have a higher standard imposed to enter the Kingdom of God. It is through reading the master's words and reviewing the Old Testament standards that we begin to get a sense of what is required. St. Paul, the great lion of God, thunders in his Epistles that in Christ Jesus the standard is higher.

The Espistle appointed for today is not from St. Paul, but from St John
(1 Jn iv :7). John talks about love. God Almighty's tough love is the message of the Bible.

This Love is very powerful and without it we go to the place of torment. The gulf between heaven and hell are fixed so that one can not go from one to the other even on an errand of mercy.

Dr Louis Tarsitano put it this way:
“But the fact remains that the rich man is in hell, and that fact should give us all a moment's pause. He is the proof, from Christ's own lips, of what St. John had to say in this morning's Epistle: He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him (1 John 13:14-15). In the Bible, love is not what we feel, but how we act. When the rich man did not act to save Lazarus, when he did not use his wealth to comfort him, God counted his lack of action as
hatred and murder, and on the basis of that divine judgment, God condemned him to hell: not to forgetfulness and nonexistence, but to perpetual torment apart from the fellowship of God and his Saints.”


The question that is asked of you is have you noticed someone lying at your gates?

Paul Taylor June,2005
Revised July 8,2006

Trinity Sunday – Rev'd Paul Taylor, LL.M.


The lessons for today are Revelation iv:1 and St. John iii:1. Usually passages like these are ignored like the plague within the Anglican Communion. Yet the
Book of Common Prayer appoints these lessons to be read. Read but not usually preached on. These passages deal with important issues and the spirit has moved me to preach upon these texts. I speak to you not as a baptist or a pentecostal but as a but as a born again Episcopalian. To do this I must tall about the
spirit. Talk of the spirit surprises every one. The bible however, talks about the spirit of God from Genesis to Revelation.

Let me first discuss the "Epistle". This is not one of the Pauline letters but a quote from Revelation. Revelation cannot be dismissed as a hallucination it is one of the 66 books of the bible and the only one that says woe to him that
adds or subtracts from these words. If someone said he saw God and there were 24 guys bowing down. What would you say? Man someone put some bad dust in your smoke. Revelation is different from a drug induced dream. With drugs or booze - these are first consumed and then the dream. Here the spirit lifts John up and then he sees.

To digress a bit i will tell you a story. Bill Wilson was a successful stockbroker who drank his way into the gutter. In desperation he went to see Dr. Carl Jung in
Switzerland. The doctor said he had no cure. Medicine had no cure. Psychiatry has no cure. The alcoholic may be looking for God in the bottle he does not find him. The only people who are cured are those who have a religious experience.
Bill left Switzerland in despair. He continued to drink and one night while drying out at Townes Hospital in New York City he prayed and heard the rushing of the wind. Dr. Townes told him to hold onto the experience. A while later he was visited by a man named Ebby who looked like a model of prosperity. Ebby was a drunk who got sober in the Oxford Movement. Public testimonials and all that God Stuff. Bill liked what he saw and if Ebby could do it so could he. So Bill got involved in the Oxford Movement. He tried but it wasn't enough to keep him on the wagon. One day he was visiting Akron, Ohio,on a business trip and the urge to drink was overpowering. Somehow he knew what he needed was to talk to another drunk. Bill was in a strange city. He was all alone. He placed a phone call to a woman he hardly knew and explained to her his problem. She didn't laugh.
She told Bill to call Dr. Bob Smith. Dr. Bob was a doctor who drank his was to the bottom. Bill called and Mrs. Smith said that the Doctor was too ill to come to the phone, but she understood:! The next day two hopeless, helpless drunks met and Alcoholics Anonymous was born. Today millions are sober allover the world. There are also 138 other self help groups using the same principles. This is an example of the spirit moving. Had these two men had something to drink they would have
had visions but we would not have said that they
were spiritual.

Turning again to Revelation what do you see?
In chapters 1-3 St. John receives a revelation and is
commanded to write to the seven churches. After that in chapter 4
(todays text), he hears the voice again and he is transported
in the spirit. No booze. No drugs, but the spirit of God. He
is transported into the spirit and then he sees God on his
throne. A stirring image! We should not be surprised but we
are. The spirit of the Lord is mentioned throughout the entire
bible and yet we are surprised. To help prevent surprise the
church also has us look at John 3:1.

Nicodemus is a ruler of the Jews. He knows Jesus is a great
man and calls him Rabbi. Now the term denoted denoted a man who held

An Atheist died,. He was laid out in his casket all dressed up and he had no place to go.

Why Women Were Never Priests - Alice C. Linsley

by Alice C. Linsley
http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/05/why-women-were-never-priests.html
May 11, 2010

A convert to Orthodoxy from being an Episcopalian priestess, Ms. Linsley renounced her priestly order in March 2004. She left the Episcopal ministry on the Sunday that Gene Robinson was consecrated and has not entered an Episcopal church since. After years of studying the question of women priests she is persuaded that this innovation is the root cause of the schism within Anglicanism. She is also the author of the excellent blog: Just Genesis.

The Messianic priesthood of Jesus Christ is the true and single Form[1] of the Priesthood. Every priest, either living before Christ or after Christ's appearing, stands as a sign to this one priesthood. The priesthood is unique (not to be confused with the office of shaman) and it is impossible to change it in any essential way.

All attempts to change the priesthood, such as developed out of Protestant theology or the ordination of women, corrupt the sign so that it no longer points to Messiah. The Church itself has no authority to change the ontological pattern since the Priesthood existed before the Church and was not established by the Apostles.

The first priest mentioned in the Bible is Melchizedek who lived during the time of Abraham. The author of Hebrews tells us that Melchizedek is a type pointing to Jesus as the true Form/Priest:

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 6:13-20).

Melchizedek represents the Messianic priesthood, but he doesn't represent the beginning of the priesthood. Cain and Abel acted as priests when they offered sacrifices in Genesis 4. This means that the priesthood was not established by the Apostles, it existed long before them. According to Saint John Chrysostom, a Church Father, the priesthood "is ranked among heavenly ordinances. And this is only right, for no man, no angel, no archangel, no other created power, but the Paraclete himself ordained this succession...".[2]

If the Apostles are not the source of the Christian priesthood, what is the source? It can only be the eternal Christ, who is the eternal Form/Priest. Through Jesus Christ the eternal truth signified by the Priesthood comes into focus. He alone is Priest, fulfilling atonement through His own shed blood. The Priesthood therefore, is necessarily tied to the Blood of Jesus Christ. Where people deny the saving nature of Jesus' Blood there can be no true Priesthood. A priest who denies the necessity of repentance and trust in Jesus' Blood as the means of forgiveness, is a false priest.

What can we say about the Priesthood?

First, we can say that the priesthood is verifiably one of the oldest religious offices in the world, traced back to at least 7000 B.C. It emerges out of the Afro-Asiatic civilization which, at its peak, extended from the Atlantic coast of modern Nigeria to the Indus River Valley. The Brahmanas (Hindu Priest Manuals) [3]

An observation of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (martyerd by the Nazis in 1945): "If you board the wrong train, running up the aisle in the opposite direction will be of no use."

Whitsunday, the day of Pentecost - Rev'd Paul Taylor LL.M.

The day of Pentecost is called White Sunday or Whitsunday
in the anglican calendar because of the white vestments which
were permitted by the English reformers only for this sunday.
Pentecost is the feast of weeks in the Jewish calendar.
It is 50 days from Passover. It is certainly a day that good
episcopalians would like to get over with quickly. Pentecost
was a religious holiday and the bible forbade work or even to
work one's servants. (Lev 23:21, Nu 28:26). Devout people from
allover the world gathered to be in Jerusalem for this high
holy day. The disciples cowered in the upper room in mortal
fear of their enemies.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells his followers that if
they love him, they will keep his commandments. The word that
they hear from him is not his word but that of his father.
Jesus is the son. God is the father. God has revealed his
holy word in the law and the prophets. It is in the bible that
we find the holy word of God. The word of God is not found in
general conventions, committees standing or otherwise. For God
so loved the world that he did not send a committee. The word
of God is not found in liberal thinkers of the last 100 years.
Unfortunately it is no longer found in the episcopal church.

Many you will be like Elijah and look for the word of the
Lord in the wind which shattered rock or in an earthquake or in
the fire but the voice of God was in a small still voice. The Word
of God is found in God's holy bible. For it is in the bible
that the word of God comes forth to speak to everyone in the
secret recesses of their hearts. It is the word of God that
would make a slave trader turn from his profitable trade and
write the hymn Amazing Grace.

For many years the episcopal church prided itself on two
things. One that it had lousy preaching and two that no one
knew the bible. There are about 3500 do's and don't in the
bible. Most have been written into the civil law. The devil
is the one that says don't read the bible. It is the devil who
says we must be relevant at the expense of the bible, at the
expense of the holy word of God. The episcopal church adopted
the catchy phrase that "if it feels good do it This has
planted the seeds of sin and destruction. Alcohol and drug
abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases, have become national
disasters not only in terms of money but in terms of human
misery. Spouse abuse, child abuse, incest, rape drugs and
crime have not made us into better people. Trying to be
relevant to children of the 60's made a whole generation not
respect their biblical heritage and made them easy targets for
the devil. No one could effectively answer the questions posed
by that troubled generation because no one had read the bible.
This nation founded its public schools so that everyone_would
be able to read the bible. Today its against the law to read
the bible in school. Today, reading skills have plummeted.
Less people can read and most of those who can have never read
the bible, Bishop Knight of the United Episcopal Church
horrified his people by asking that each congregation put at
least one bible in every pew and encourage people to take one