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Wednesday, March 5th 2025

Ash Wednesday

·         Joel 2:12-18

·         Psalm 51:3-6, 12-14 & 17

·         2 Corinthians 5:20--6:2

·         Psalm 95:8

·         Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Christians, what is Christ Jesus teaching his disciples, when he says, “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them:” truly, he is telling us that we must be sure of our motives: our we first seeking the kingdom of heaven and the Heavenly Father’s Righteousness or our we seeking our own glory!  Truly, again, we are to perform righteous deeds to bring glory to God the Heavenly Father’s name and for no other reason or purpose!  Let us remember what Saint John the Baptist said: a person can receive nothing, except it be given from heaven.  Yes Christians, Christ Jesus said that he came unto humankind and that he has given unto us the gospel of spirit and life, so that we might have his joy fulfilled in ourselves and that this joy will be full; shall be complete.  Now Christians, the Prophet Joel testifies: return to the Lord God the Heavenly Father with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; rend your hearts not your garments and return to the Lord, God the Heavenly Father’s way, truth, and life, that being, the Lord Christ Jesus.  Christians ask yourselves; why was Joel, the Prophet telling the people that they must rend their hearts!  Clearly, it is because of the evil that they had done: selling a boy into harlotry, selling a girl for a drink of wine: both being the lustful covetous of vanity and false pride and as well, the Prophet Joel tells them to fast and weep and mourn -- turning away from the many immoralities, evils, that people do against God the Heavenly Father and his word of spirit and life.  Now Saint Paul, Apostle teaches us of the holiness and the goodness of God the Heavenly Father’s law; testifying that the law is good!  Saint Paul teaches that it was the law that made him aware of his covetous and so, too the other sins of the flesh.  Still, it is not the law that is sinful; rather, it is when, we do not keep the law and then this disobedience is what leads us to sin and into immoralities: we pray, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil!  Therefore, Christians, see and understand that the law is good, righteous and holy; yet, the law also shows to us what is immoral, greedy, murderous, vanity and covetous.  Now Christians, think not that your flesh is above being sinful, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God the Heavenly Father; still, do not use this fact that all have sinned, as an excuse to sin: for such a thing is blasphemy.  Yes Christians, Saint Paul tells us that now: the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.  Truly, God the Heavenly Father has written his laws upon our hearts and minds, so that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, those, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.  Yes Christians, Saint Paul, Apostle testifies that the law did not bring anything into perfection, but now: we are to warn every man, warn every person, teaching in all wisdom; that we may present every man, every person perfect in Christ Jesus.  Yes, the law brought nothing into perfection; rather, it is only through turning to Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit: in prayer and knowledge of Jesus’s word of spirit and life and by Christ Jesus’s grace that we can overcome the sinful flesh, that is, to turn away from all sins, whether, it be of the body or of the spirit, namely, the heart and mind.  Remember, Christians, Saint Paul, Apostle prayed for the Colossians: that they might be filled with the knowledge of Christ Jesus’s will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding!  Praying that we might walk worthily of the Lord Jesus Christ unto all pleasing.  Yes, that we might be fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  Christians, are we now to believe, as some do: that selling a boy into harlotry or selling a girl for a glass of wine or to be polluted by the obvious sins of the flesh are the good works of Christ Jesus and that these things are walking worthily of Jesus Christ: Christians, are we now to believe that killing a child in the womb is acceptable to the Lord Christ Jesus, when we know that murder defiles us and that no murderer, according, to Saint John’s, Apostle’s testimony has any part in eternal life.  Moreover, Christians, are we to believe the lies told that a child is not alive, until some certain time after their life begins at fertilization: why even in the petri-dish they know that a child is alive and growing; otherwise, they would not put this child into the woman’s womb, so it will continue its maturing process.  Christians, if these: abortion, selling children into harlotry, committing the obvious sins the flesh -- the natural and unnatural sins are the good works that are worthy of Christ Jesus, what are the bad fruits that Christ Jesus will judge!  Yes Christians, God the Heavenly Father is gracious, merciful and he is slow to anger and rich in kindness; yet, as the Prophet Nahum testifies, God the Heavenly Father will not at all acquit the wicked but here in this testimony, from Joel, we see and understand that the Lord God may relent in punishment: if he sees people in their hearts, minds, souls, thoughts, words, and deeds are turning, repenting and relenting of their wickedness, their evil, their sinfulness; yes, fast, weep, mourn and with your whole and entire heart: return to the Lord God of all creation, yes, the Lord God the Heavenly Father, Father of the Son, the Lord Christ Jesus.  Yes, Christians, our glorious Heavenly Father creator of all the universe and all of humankind knows his thoughts toward man, and these thoughts are of peace and not of evil and to give us an expected end and in Christ Jesus, this expected end is to pass from death unto life.  Hence, Jesus Christ testifies: Verily indeed, Jesus says unto us, the person who hears his word and believes on God the Heavenly Father, who sent him has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.  Again, Christians, do not think wrongly of God the Heavenly Father and do not manifest in yourselves a day where you believe assuredly in some absolute interpretation from men, of the imagery, from the Book of Revelation; for indeed, in the last years some oaks have fallen and resolutions have come and gone.  Truly, Christians, one thing we can hold fast too is this teaching of the Lord Christ Jesus: take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself.  Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.  Now Christians, in the name of the Lord Christ Jesus let us pray and be thankful.  Amen.    

 

Wednesday, March 12th 2025

The First Week in Lent

·         Jonah 3:1-10

·         Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, & 18-19

·         Joel 2:12-13

·         Luke 11:29-32

Christians, the great gift of repentance that God the Heavenly Father bestowed upon humankind is Christ Jesus: those who believe in him will not perish, but will have eternal life!  Hence, Saint James, the Lord’s brother, testifies: yes, you believe that there is one God, you do well: the devils also believe and tremble!  Christians given these two statements, let us realize that although devils believe in Christ Jesus, believe in God, they have been cast out of heaven and await final judgement!  Therefore, if we say that we believe but our lives have the works of sinfulness instead of remaining and continuing in the words of spirit and life, of the Lord Christ Jesus, and our lives resemble not the Gospel but resemble the obvious sins of the flesh – have we repented and hope to be saved or have we chosen sin and pretend to be saved!  Now Christians, in the days of Jonah God the Heavenly Father was much more visibly active in the daily lives of people, but God the Heavenly Father and the Lord Christ Jesus are now active moment-by-moment and decision-by-decision; albeit, through the Holy Spirit, still, we must remember and realize that witness to Jesus is prophecy.  Yes, Jonah was commanded to warn and testify to the Ninevites that unless they repented and turned away from their sin and sinfulness that God had given them forty days or Nineveh would be destroyed!  Now the implication a person may imagine; that this destruction of Nineveh would be similar to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Since, we did not read any testimony of how God the Heavenly Father would destroy Nineveh, yet as we have the testimony and know, from the testimony of Isaiah: when, God the Heavenly Father hissed for a fly out of the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt and for a bee that is in the land of Assyria and thus started the days of the dispersion to come upon the Israelites: then also, we now are living in the age of the Lord Christ Jesus, where we have the testimony that Jesus Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead and of his kingdom there will be no end.  Now Christians, the sins of Nineveh were the obvious sins of the flesh: those very evils and wickednesses that God the Heavenly Father employed Joshua, the warrior and prophet of God to destroy the many peoples of who had polluted themselves in sin and whose lives of evil had run its course.  Now Christians, in the Book of Jonah, it testifies of how huge the city of Nineveh was, and that it would take three days to walk across it!  Therefore, we have Jonah announcing all day long that God the Heavenly Father, through Jonah, was testifying that the complete destruction of Nineveh was at hand, and they, the Ninevites’ believed and turned away from their sins and sinfulness.  Whereas, today, we have some ministers, who they are completely disobedient and are telling people that it is okay if people live in the sins of the flesh: these same sins, for that God the Heavenly Father was prepared to destroy Nineveh, likely, in a manner as he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah if the Ninevites did not repent and then, we have some ministers speaking the words that Saint John the Baptist heralded and then too Christ Jesus took up in the same manner: the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent all you people and believe in the gospel, of the Lord Christ Jesus.  Christians, truly, we know from the Gospel itself: that there will be false teachers paid to give false testimony, to those who want to believe the lie; instead of believing Christ Jesus came to take away the sins of the world and unless we repent; we will all perish.  Christians, there is no other gospel other than Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and Saint Paul, Apostle did testify: though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let them be accursed.  Yes Christians, the entire city, city so large that it took Jonah three days to walk across, gathered, and all of them great and small put on sackcloth, sackcloth being the clothing of repentance and they proclaimed a fast.  Now Christians, consider for a moment: why did the Ninevites believe Jonah and not laugh him to scorn, which is the way of many unbelievers.  What was it about Jonah’s testimony that gave them the feeling, the intuition that what Jonah said was actually going to happen: if they did not believe Jonah, they would have never dressed in sackcloth and fasted, but they did and they were saved.  Yes Christians, Jesus calls us all to be saved and he has from the beginning, telling all people repent, turn away from your sins, repent and believe in the Gospel for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  Still, Jesus also warns us that unless we repent, we will all perish: meaning those who choose to live in the obvious sins of the flesh will perish, but if instead they choose to repent and to wash clean their souls and their lives in the sacrificial blood that was shed by the Lord Christ Jesus upon his crucifixion, then and only then do they have the chance of eternal salvation.  Yes Christians, there is a vast disconnect with the overall feeling and understanding of who Jesus Christ is and who he, himself claims to be according to his word, for example: Jesus testifies: So likewise, for us, when we shall have done all those things which are commanded of us, say, we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.  Still, Jesus Christ is indeed a wonderful counselor and moreover he is our friend, Jesus testifying: Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his lord does: but Jesus has called us friends; for all things that he has heard of God the Heavenly Father, Jesus has made known unto us!  Then Christians, when the news of Jonah’s prophecy meets the ears of the King of Nineveh, he also clothed himself in sackcloth and sat in ashes.  The king proclaimed that not man nor beast nor cattle nor sheep shall taste anything; these shall not eat nor shall they drink water and all shall pray and call loudly to God the Heavenly Father, in repentance.  Each and every person the king commanded: shall turn from their evil ways and turn from the violence of their doings: the violence they have schemed and with that they fill their hands.  Christians, it may be instructive to put Jonah into our current day and the current circumstance of the world.  First, we would have some media telling people of some fool that is preaching about the eventual destruction that is coming upon them: then, we would have other saying, people, God the Heavenly Father is giving us are last chance and is willing to relent if we turn away from our evil and turn to loving one another as Christ Jesus loves us, that being according to his gospel of spirit and life.  Yes Christians, Jesus the Christ and Messiah testified repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, repent and believe in the Gospel of our Lord Christ Jesus.  Now Christians, in the name of the Lord Christ Jesus let us pray and be thankful.  Amen.      

 

Wednesday, March 19th 2025

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

·         2 Samuel 7:4-5m 12-14 & 16

·         Psalm 89:2-5, 27 & 29

·         Romans 4:13, 16, 18, 22

·         Psalm 84:5

·         Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24

·         Luke 2:41-51

Christians, when we say Jesus is Lord: do we fully give credence to this statement, but then we cannot!  Christians, we live by faith!  Yes, Jesus Christ testifies: judge not according to appearance, but judge [according to] righteous judgment!  Christians, Christ Jesus exclaimed with a loud voice: Lazarus, come forth, and the man who the entire community: the Pharisees, the scribes, the elders, the neighbors, and his sisters, yes the entire community knew Lazarus was dead, but Jesus cried loudly: Lazarus! walk forth from that tomb and then Lazarus’s mortal being, his life, was restored to him by this Jesus, the Nazarene, the Christ and Messiah, this head of the Church, this through who all things were created that were created.  Yes, this Jesus Christ, the word made flesh who has given unto us, the Heavenly Father’s words, the Gospel of spirit and life; still, when we cast our eyes and minds forth of the depths of the oceans, we know all that we do not and have not been able to come to know; when we look at the human creature with all of its light and darkness, we do not and have not been able to come to know; when we cast our eyes towards the stars and the vastness of space, we make conjecture that something happened, we do not and have not been able to come to know and yet, when there is money to be made we somehow become absolutely certain about things that there are no certainty.  Yes, we, Christians, forget, and do not remember that Christ Jesus told us of the parable of the dishonest steward: telling us, that no person can serve two masters: for either he will hate one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other!  We cannot serve God and mammon.  Yes, Saint Paul says it this way: we cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils: We cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and the table of devils.  Also, Jesus saying: take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.  Therefore, Christians, let us walk in faith of the Lord Christ Jesus; Christ Jesus testifying that he is the light of the world: the person who follows him shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.  Now Christians, the statement by the Lord God the Heavenly Father spoken to Nathan is of such depths, yet it is as commonplace as hello; God the Father saying: when your time comes!  Now, Nathan and David, around 1048 BC are many years, after the divine warrior Joshua, born approximately 1537 BC and God the Heavenly Father told to Abraham, around 1921 BC that the descendants of Noah’s sons, some whom did evil in the sight of the Lord, the sons of Noah were the whole earth overspread, which Joshua did eventually conquer.  Christians, do remember, that Joshua is also a descendant of Noah to Shem, Shem being the father to Arpachshad; he being the father to Shelah; he being the father to Eber; he being the father to Peleg; he being the father to Reu; he being the father to Serug; he being the father to Nahor; he being the father to Terah and Terah is Abraham’s father.  Abraham to Issac to Jacob to Joseph to Ephraim; Ephraim being the father to Beriah; he being the father to Rephah; he being the father to Respheph; he being the father to Telah; he being the father to Laadan; he being the father to Ammihud; he being the father to Elishama; he being the father to Nun; and Nun is the father of Joshua.  So, Christians, in all this time, from Abraham to Joshua a period of some 500 years, God the Heavenly Father let the evil, of the many generations removed, of descendants of Noah’s Sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth run its course and then in the time of Joshua, the time had come when God the Heavenly Father through Joshua vanquished these wicked, evil, and immoral folk.  Now Christians, a most interesting thing testified to by the Lord Christ Jesus, he said: his time had not yet come, but your time is always here and ready!  So now Christians, again, the Lord said to David, the king: when your time comes and verily, indeed Christ Jesus being the Son of God through the house of David, the Blessed Virgin Mary being of the House of David, God the Heavenly Father’s promise is resolute, purposeful, and eternal: the throne of David is established forever.  Moreover, it being the case that many times, when the Lord Christ Jesus did speak that the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes and elders had misunderstandings, of what he was referring: one such incident being, Jesus said: destroy this temple and in three days that he would raise it!  In misimpression, they thought Christ Jesus was referring to the temple that took forty and six years to build and the labor of thousands of people!  So, Christians then we understand: as Jesus Christ was misunderstood, so too did the Israelites get the wrong idea what God the Heavenly Father was testifying through his Prophets Samuel and Nathan and also the King, David: they did not understand that Jesus is Lord and he is, the throne of David and so much more; King David saying himself: the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.  Yes, Christians, let us sing the promises of the Lord forever: being sincere, faithful, traditional, but also with a new song.  Yes Christians, remain in the words and teachings of God the Heavenly Father, that being Christ Jesus’s Gospel of spirit and life and thus, be disciples of the Lord Christ Jesus, know the truth and be free.  As well, let the fullness of your hearts sing, bringing forth the good treasures of Christ Jesus’s Gospel.  Christians, let us know that God the Heavenly Father’s kindness is established forever but also that in no way will God the Heavenly Father acquit or clear the wicked.  Yes, Christians, Christ Jesus is: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace and of his government and peace there shall be no end!  Therefore, Christians, first seek the kingdom of heaven and the Heavenly Father’s Righteousness.  Now Christians, in the name of the Lord Christ Jesus let us pray and be thankful.  Amen.

 

Wednesday, March 26th 2025

The Third Week of Lent

·         Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9

·         Psalms 147:12-13, 15-16, & 19-20

·         John 6:63 & 68

·         Matthew 5:17-19

Christians, the righteousness of God without the law is manifest: being witnessed by the law and the prophets.  Yes, Christians, for Christ Jesus overcame the sinful flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled, in us: those, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.  Yes Christians, the new covenant with God is his law written on our hearts and minds, to understand: Christ Jesus gave us an example of adultery: that now, this adultery was not even having to be made or done in the flesh but that through a person’s spirit: if a person looks at another person with lust in their heart, then that person has committed adultery!  So, we see that now in Christ Jesus even the thought of lust for another is adultery, absent the physical act, so that now, it does not take the physical act but a spiritual act and this is now considered, by the Lord Christ Jesus to be adultery.  So Christians, if you find yourself in temptation or desire; remember, we are to bear our cross in Christ Jesus and that we are likewise crucified with Christ Jesus so that we might be raised with the Lord Christ Jesus and that our bodies our now dead to sin, we are free from sin and not slaves to our flesh; therefore, if we call upon the cross of Christ Jesus: praying in the Holy Spirit; seeking the grace of the Lord Christ Jesus; and we cast down imaginations, choosing Christ Jesus, and bringing every thought captive, every high thing or anything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing these things: that is, every thought under the authority and obedience to Christ, this being Christ Jesus’s Gospel of repentance for the forgiveness of sin and sinfulness, then we know that we can overcome our sinful flesh because of Christ Jesus.  Yes, Christians, Christ Jesus’s new covenant with humankind is not only: this sin in our minds, this sin of lust that is adultery, but it is also this: all of God the Heavenly Father’s laws: for they too are written on our hearts and in our minds: so we have the sin of idolatry: not remembering or living in the truth that there is but one God, the Heavenly Father, that all things were created through Christ Jesus: the way, the truth and the life, and that no person comes to God the Heavenly Father but by Jesus Christ, he being preeminent in all things; next, talking about God in a vain way, that is, not affording God glory as God; then, we must remember to keep a day of rest but also remembering that Christ Jesus is, the Lord of the Sabbath; next, honoring our father and our mother – loving them with the love that is in Christ Jesus, Jesus saying: love one another as he loves us, which is in accordance with His Gospel; then next, thou shalt not kill: we are not to entertain any thought of killing and are to bring those who kill to justice; moreover, we are not to play any childish games about when the life of a human being begins: for we all know life begins at fertilization or conception and that abortion is the killing of a child; next, we are not to commit adultery: neither physically nor spiritually, that is, in our minds or fantasy’s; next, we are not to bear false witness; rather, we are to testify to the truth of Christ Jesus’s Gospel that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and this: we are not to bear false witness against our neighbors, our business partners or those who we do business with, namely, we do not bear false witness; next, we are not to steal: whether it is a pair of jeans or tax-dollars: we are not to deal underhandedly or cheat the citizen of their tax-dollars – misrepresenting them or failing to disclose how these moneys are being used; next, we are not to covet our neighbor’s wife, but we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves: we are to recognize through the cross of Christ Jesus that we are to love our neighbor and that we can love our neighbor without coveting them; and finally, we are not to covet our neighbor’s goods: there is to be no illegal immigration or society designing, which puts the native citizen at odds with illegal immigrants of other cultures: similar to what happened and what was done in the time of World War II: where the natural citizen was made to hate the Jewish people out of covetous, which was spurred on by the leaders for their own power, control and greed and now we have the Islamic and Latin people being shipped in and encouraged to immigrate illegally; so as, again for certain individuals who covet false and fake holiness, false and fake liberty or as Saint Peter, Apostle testifies: while these they promise liberty, while they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of who a person is overcome, of the same is this person in bondage or they owe fealty to: Christ Jesus testifying: verily, indeed “Whosoever commits sin is a slave and servant of sin.”  Now Christians, let us embrace this testimony that Moses gives; Moses tells, his brothers and sisters, the descendants of Jacob-Israel that if they observe the words and teachings, the commandments, statutes, decrees and ordinances that God the Heavenly Father gave to them, they will give evidence of their wisdom and intelligence – to the nations that surround them.  Now, Isaiah the Prophet of God saying; many people shall go and say, come all, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem!  Hence, but what did these descendants of Jacob do, they did as the Israelites did in the Sinai, when God said to Moses: get thee down from my mountain, for my people have perverted themselves!  So, instead of being the wisdom and the intelligence – to the nations – the Israelites followed their neighbors who followed idols made by human hands and verily, indeed they gave themselves over to all manner of perversions.  Christians, let us also look at this: Saint John, Apostle was carried away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and he was shown a great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God the Heavenly Father: this city had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.  Now Christians, do we not understand that when Moses testifies: the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him that God the Heavenly Father is testifying through Moses about his words and teachings, the commandments.  Christians, truly, we know the Lord Christ Jesus is the word made flesh, and dwelt among us.  Moreover, the Lord Christ Jesus testifies: if a person loves him, they will keep his words and then, God the Heavenly Father will love this person, and God the Heavenly Father, the Lord Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit will come unto this person and make their abode, their dwelling with them.  Now Christians, in the name of the Lord Christ Jesus let us pray and be thankful.  Amen. 

 

 

 

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