Synod 2018 Sermon by Fr. Michael Cawthon
Yes, crown him lord of all indeed; for
for The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing…
He shall feed me,
and shall convert my soul,
He shall provide me comfort,
and yes, my cup will be full as I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever…
(So) … And yes, the Spirit of the Lord God is upon us (me);
because the Lord hath anointed us (me)
to preach good tiding unto the meek,
he hath sent us (me) to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim and to open to them that are bound… (Isaiah 61:1)
2Ti 2:24 And as servants of the Lord we are to (And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but) be gentle unto all men,
apt to teach, (being) patient;
2Ti 2:25 in meekness –
we are to instruct those that oppose themselves;
As well, we are warned:
2Ti 2:23 But to avoid foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender friction (strifes.)
And these wonderful words we read on this Feast Day of St. Vincent de Paul –
who was known for his charity among those brokenhearted, and those bound, and those who are at war within themselves.
St. Vincent even organized the Sisters of Charity, in 1633,
and he is the patron saint of all societies devoted to works of charity.
But this good news does not stop here,
For we need to put some icing on the cake, oh yes, I love the cake:
So this afternoon, the Lord willing we will have
The ORDINATION AND CONSECRATION of
The Very Reverend David William Haines
to the SACRED ORDER of BISHOPS,
for service as Missionary Bishop.
This is a glorious day already and yet it has just begun!
Now I don’t know about you, but Dawg gone (by the way – a true Georgia boy spells that Dog – DAWG):
it sure seems to me that we have been given some definite direction from the scripture this day.
It brings to my memory of The Fifth week of Trinity
when our Lord told those tired, weary, fishless fishermen …
well, Let’s go out a bit and then “let down your nets” –
you know sort of like – “let us go and catch us some fish today”…
My friends, it seems God is telling us at this 50th synod –
it is time to go out and throw down our nets –
yes indeed, it is time to go fishing.
After years in the wilderness –
last year God began to bring unity within the ranks of those who truly believe and love
the Anglican Traditions of His – One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Therefore, we must remain – “simply” – who we are.
We are to accept God’s own words when He said –
I AM THAT I AM
He did not say – I am / (whom I will become…)
No – I AM THAT I AM
So are we: … we are who we are.
We do not need / to dress up Jesus,
we do not look to Jesus to provide our entertainment,
we do not need to make Him politically correct
(oh…the arrogance of man / to try to improve / upon the only begotten of the Father.)
No, we have received a faith that does not change / according to which way the wind is blowing –
but a faith that is true to its roots,
true to Scripture and the Early Church (Firm within our past.)
A faith, which was tested and molded by our early Fathers who were guided by the Holy Spirit.
You see: they had it right:
Yes, Christ is incarnate of the Father;
yes, He came to save sinners,
yes, He did die upon the cross;
yes, He did rise three days later;
yes, He did ascend;
and yes, the Holy Ghost did descend upon the Apostles on WhitSunday (called by some Christians – the day of Pentecost.)
And yes, (Heb 13:5) it was Jesus who told us that He would never leave (us) thee, nor forsake us
(Matt 28:20) and … lo, He (I) IS (am) with US (you) alway, even unto the end of the world.
In Psalm 23 we read that “He leads me”
upon which words Lancelot Andrewes expands
“He leads us, so He can feed us
“THIS IS MY BODY, THIS IS MY BLOOD”
and He feeds us, so He can lead us,
“I AM THE WAY, TRUTH, AND LIFE.”
Traditional Anglicans are who we are.
Steadfast in the present world – the world as it is.
By staying true and steadfast we are assisting the Holy Spirit in bringing others within that net that we must throw down –
the net of A TRUFUL / UNCHANGING Gospel.
The Gospel unchanged is of the Sacraments,
for they are real and transforming,
within their very nature is the nourishment of Christ Church.
Today, it seems that many people are searching for a God who does not expect and demand loyalty to Him,
(much less, the giving of their lives, souls, and bodies;)
But instead, many have itching ears for a god, who will entertain them, who makes them happy and feel good.
It is as if they are looking for a drug prescription rather than their God,
they seem to be searching for an emotional ecstasy.
Truth is above emotions / and tradition provides a foundation from which a vision for the future is laid out for us;
while emotions are like the shifting sand – being here and then being there.
The Truth – can be painful (yes, I am an unworthy AND sinful man.)
Emotions can take you higher and higher when stirred up,
but we also know that they can bring you lower and lower.
And it is this lowering and sinking of souls in which we see the drowning of our youth in a cesspool of deceptions, lies, and filth.
As one begins to sink, sooner or later, they are going to reach out for something real, something solid.
For this reason we must, above all things, be True to Christ and True to who we are.
We must continuously reach out day by day,
and yes,
we are to throw down the net of the Gospel / time and time again, even when we are tired and frustrated – never ever giving up…
not until God determines that His Church has finished Her Mission…
So let us take our TRADITIONAL – One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church out into the world,
a world in desperate need of a solid rock – from which to stand.
Each one of you –
are part of the foundation of Christ’s Church;
so, it is up to each one of you — to go, — and to do. The hour cometh…..
