Light of Christ Podcast is the official podcast of Light of Christ Anglican Church in Georgetown, TX.

Admin 10/21/19 Admin 10/21/19

Struggling with God

Transcript: Welcome to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Light of Christ Anglican Church is located in Georgetown, Texas, at MLK and University Avenue. We are a modern expression of the ancient faith. You can learn more about us at lightofchristgeorgetown.org.

Our sermon soundbite today comes from Luke, Chapter 18, Verses 1 through 7. "And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, 'In a certain city, there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.' And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused. But afterward, he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming. And the Lord said, 'Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to His elect who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them?'"

Now, I want to make a clarification here because often, this passage is preached improperly. It’s preached like we have to struggle with God, through prayer or fasting to get what we want. It's taught like that. And so, if I want healing or if I want this to happen in my life, maybe they're good things. But maybe they're not. Maybe they're a Lexus or a, well, Lexuses are good too, but you know what I'm saying? Maybe they're just a direct product and obvious product of my lust, but I can get it if I just pray hard enough and do the right spiritual things. That's not what he's talking about here.

First, it's a wrong view of God. God is love. We don't have to rip things that are good for us out of His hands. Why would we have to do that? If God is love, He would generously give us everything that we need. So yet, why do we struggle? The reason we struggle with God is not to rip something out of His hands that He won't give us. The reason we struggle with God is that we don't know what is good for us in this world, and we don't know God's timing.

We don't. We have a very small perspective. This is hard for us to wrap our heads around because we all think we're the center of the universe and that we have the best perspective on life. And the last person we question about anything is... ourselves.

But we have a very small perspective. And I don't like to use my family as an analogy here, but let's just say little boys in general, they like to run up and stick their fingers into what on the wall?

Sockets. Electrical sockets. I don't know why. They just want to stick their finger in there, or they somehow get a fork and they want to jam it in there. And you stop them. And what do they do? Do they turn around and thank you?

They scream bloody murder. "Daddy!!!!” “AHHHH!” And that's what they're saying. "I want to do this. You're infringing on my rights and what's good for me."

I'm like, "No, you have a bad sense of timing, child. When you're 17 or 18, I'll send you to vocational school where you can learn to be an electrician, and then you can work with outlets for the rest of your life, but now is not the time."

That's us though, with our Father. We know very little and He knows all. God is love, He loves you. He's not keeping anything back from you. And when it seems that He is, it's just a matter of time. Whether it's not in this life, in the next, He will make good on all of His promises to you because He is a loving God.

Thank you for listening to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. This prayer for submission to God's will can be found on page 673.

Oh, Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul. I adore you. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do. Give me your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that you desire of me and to accept all that you permit to happen to me. Let me only know your will. Amen.

Admin 10/16/19 Admin 10/16/19

True Christian Love

Transcript: Welcome to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Light of Christ Anglican Church is located in Georgetown, Texas at MLK and University Avenue. We are a modern expression of the ancient faith. You can learn more about us at http://www.lightofchristgeorgetown.org.

Our sermon soundbite today comes from the First Book of Homilies, a collection of 12 sermons published in England by Archbishop Cranmer in 1547. Cranmer published the homilies during a time when the level of spiritual ignorance in the church was astounding. Before the reformation, all services were conducted entirely in Latin. And because of this, among other reasons, the clergy lacked the education and experience necessary to write solid and edifying sermons for their congregations. The homilies were written by bishops and scholars in the church to fill this pressing need. They were appointed to be read every Sunday in order to instruct both the clergy and laity in the basic doctrines and practices of the Christian faith, as illuminated by the recent reformation sweeping through the western world. The sermon soundbite today comes from the homily on true Christian love and is read by Mark, a lay leader at Light of Christ.

“True Christian Love.” Of all the things that should be taught to Christians, there is nothing more necessary to be daily spoken of than the issue of love. Included in the topic of love are all the righteous works that are part of it, along with the fact that the decay of love is the ruin of the world, the banishment of virtue, and the cause of all evil. It seems that almost every person creates and lives out his own definition of love, no matter how detestable his life toward God and man, while in his own mind, he persuades himself that he has great love toward others. Therefore, you will hear in this sermon a true and plain description of love, not the kind imagined in man's mind, but the one from the actual words and example of our savior, Jesus Christ. Using this true description of love, every man can examine himself compared to it and see clearly whether or not he is living according to it.

Loving God requires all of our heart, all of our life, and all of our powers and strength. Loving with all our heart means that we set our heart's mind to believe his word, to trust in him, and to esteem him above all other things that we love in heaven or on earth. Loving with all our life means that our highest joy and delight is toward him and his honor, and then our whole life is dedicated to his service, even to the point of death. It means we must be willing to forsake all other things rather than him. As Christ says in Matthew 10:37, "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Loving with all our powers and strength means that we should pursue keeping God's commandments with our hands and feet, with our eyes and ears, with our mouths and tongues, and with all our powers of both body and soul.

This is the first and principal part of love, but not the entirety. Love also includes care for every person, good or evil, friend or foe, to have goodwill toward all, and to treat them well both in word and in our outward acts and deeds. Christ not only taught this himself, but he also lived this out as an example for us. Regarding the love of God, Christ instructed a doctor of the law who asked him which was the chief commandment in the law? In Matthew 22:37 Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

Christ also taught concerning the love we should have among ourselves in Matthew chapter 5 in the Sermon on the Mount when he said, "You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?" These are the very words of Christ himself regarding loving our neighbor.

The Pharisees, with their poisonous traditions and false interpretations, had corrupted and nearly stopped up the pure well of God's living word, teaching instead that love only pertained to a person's friends and that it was sufficient for a person to love those who loved him and to hate his enemies. However, Christ opened up this well again, clearing and scouring it by giving a clear interpretation of his law of love, that we should love every person, both friend and enemy. And by reminding us of the reward we will receive if we do so, and the loss we will suffer if we do not. What greater thing could we wish for them to be considered as and taken as our eternal heavenly father's children?

Thank you for listening to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. This prayer for Preparation for Personal Prayer can be found on page 675.

Holy Spirit, breath of God and fire of love, I cannot pray without your aid: Kindle in me the fire of your love, and illumine me with your light; that with a steadfast will and holy thoughts I may approach the Father in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who reigns with you and the Father in eternal union. Amen.

Admin 10/7/19 Admin 10/7/19

Small Faith, Big God

Our sermon sound bite for today comes from Luke 17, starting at verse 5, “The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ And the Lord said, ‘If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.’"

So in response to the disciple's request to have more faith, Jesus responds that it's not the size of the faith that mattered. If they had even a small little bit of faith as small as a tiny mustard seed, they would be able to uproot trees with only their words. So what matters is not the quantity of our faith, the size and power of our faith. But what makes faith powerful is not us, but the one we have faith in, our all powerful God. Chris Wright, our director of music at Light of Christ who is attending Nashotah House seminary, preaches this truth to us.

God does big things. In our Old Testament reading in Habakkuk, in page 785 you'll see in Habakkuk 1:5. God says in response to Habakkuk who's saying, "God, how long will all of this happen? There's injustice, there's these terrible things." And God responds to him. He says, "Look among the nations and see, wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told."

God is constantly working in ways that we can't even understand, and sometimes in ways that we just don't notice because we get so distracted by our day to day lives. And we fail to recognize just the incomprehensible amazing things that God is constantly doing in our lives and in the world. The clearest example of an amazing thing that Jesus did was die on the cross for us, when God defeated death through Jesus Christ. So paradoxically, an interesting thing about this is that the glory and bigness of God is revealed through what appeared to be a small thing in Jesus. By humbling himself, being born as a human and then by dying, Jesus defeated death and sin and Satan. So by lowering himself, he rose above the powers that had taken hold of this world.

So it's through God and his bigness that we can do all things through him. Saint Cyril of Alexandria said, "The confirmation and strength necessary for faith comes from divine grace." So, God gives us the strength that we need. He gives us the strength in order to preserve our faith, and he assures us in that we can handle it because he is big enough for our problems.

Thank you for listening to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. You can find this collect for the Wednesday of Easter Week on page 610.

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in the fullness of his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Admin 9/29/19 Admin 9/29/19

Really Living

Welcome to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Light of Christ Anglican Church is located in Georgetown, Texas at MLK and University Avenue. We are a modern expression of the ancient faith. You can learn more about us at lightofchristgeorgetown.org.

Did you know that today, over 50% of the world's wealth is owned by only 1% of the world's population? That's up from 42.5% in 2008. Another shocking statistic, although this number is decreasing over time, thank God, that in 2011 45% of all child deaths were due to malnutrition. And in 2016, almost a billion people suffer from chronic under nourishment. When we think of the 1%, we often think of them. But the fact is, if you make $33,000 or more you are part of the 1%. What does the Bible tell us who have on how to live in this world?

Our sermon soundbite for today comes from 1 Timothy chapter six, beginning at verse 17 through verse 19.

“As for the rich in this present age,” that's us, now notice the qualifier “rich in this present age.” ”Charge them not to be haughty,” not to be proud. That was the rich man's issue, ultimately, was his pride. “Charge them not to be proud nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches.”

So there's two problems here. There's this pride and there's this hope being placed in riches. See, this is what we say. We say, “I did it. It's mine and it will make me happy and secure.” “I did it. It's mine. It will make me happy and secure.” And Paul is saying, no, don't be proud. Don't set your hope on these riches which are uncertain, but, this is important, “but on God.” But set your hope on God. And I love this part, “who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”

So we go from “I did it, it's mine, it will make me happy and secure,” to “He gave it, it's His and He gives these good gifts for our enjoyment.” That's the only thing that will unlock a proud heart and greedy heart is the generosity of God. It's the generosity of God. That's all that will do it. And do we have a generous God? We do. We have a God that has given us so many wonderful and good things to enjoy.

Notice that this view of material world and wealth is not a negative view. He's saying that God has given us these things, to enjoy at that! We can enjoy them. And so viewing God as a generous God is what can unlock our heart because God hasn't only given us material wealth, but He has given us something much more precious, Himself. His own Son on the cross.

When we receive that love and mercy of God… Our hearts are like a stagnant pool. You know what happens to a ... what happens at the blue hole right now where there's no water flowing? It's disgusting, right? It's festering all of these bacteria. If you go and swim in there you will get sick. That's our heart when it's closed up in pride. The people Amos was talking to, like the people that Jesus is talking to, like us. And it's that same door to our heart that opens to the generosity of God that allows us to open up our heart to those in need. It's the very same door. It's when we realize that God has been generous to us. It's only then that we can live in generosity towards others. Only then.

So “set your hope not on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly provides us everything to enjoy.” Then he finishes up here. “They're to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.” What does it mean to really live? It means to be generous like God has been generous to us. That's really living. Really living is to not be rich in material possessions, but to be rich in good works. To take what God has given us and to prioritize giving it away. That is true security. That is really living.

So brothers and sisters, I'll close with what Paul says, “Thus storing up treasures for themselves as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” What does it mean to truly live? It means to be generous as our God is generous to us.

Thank you for listening to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. You can find this prayer For the Harvest of Lands and Waters on page 653.

O gracious Father, you open your hand and fill all living things with plenteousness: Bless the lands and waters, and multiply the harvests of the world; send forth your breath, and renew the face of the earth; show your loving-kindness, that our land may yield its increase; and save us from selfish use of what you provide, that the poor and needy may give thanks to your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Admin 9/23/19 Admin 9/23/19

A Life Built on Money

Transcript: Welcome to the Light of Christ Weekly Podcast. Light of Christ Anglican Church is located in Georgetown, Texas at MLK and University Avenue. We are a modern expression of the ancient faith. You can learn more about us at lightofchristgeorgetown.org.

Our sermon soundbite today comes from the prophet Amos, Chapter 8, beginning at verse 4. Amos speaks truth to the rich ruling class. They are filled with greed, worshiping at the altar of money, at the expense of the needy and the poor. "Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, 'When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor with silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?' The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob, 'Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. Shall not the land tremble on this account and everyone more who dwells in it, and all of it rise like the Nile and be tossed about and sink again like the Nile of Egypt?'"

So he's saying the earth is going to be like the Nile that rises and falls. Has anyone been in an earthquake? Anyone lived in California? People who have been through earthquakes, I've never been in an earthquake, but people who have been in a really strong earthquake often tell me that it's completely disorienting, because we take the ground as being firm and a given. We're standing on it and we know that we build our foundations on it for goodness' sakes, right? It's the firmest thing we know. Yet in an earthquake, what happens? That thing which we thought was firm is undulating like waves up and down, and it's completely disorienting and traumatic. And God is saying, "You have built your life on money, but that is not solid ground. I am going to shake your foundations to the core, like the Nile going up and down, like the waves of the ocean. Your foundation is going to be taken away from you. It's going to drop out from under you."

And that's exactly what happens to anyone who builds their life on money. Because is it a firm foundation? No. The stock market's up, and then the stock market's down. Money is not a firm foundation. And eventually we all die. We all leave this world. Can any of us take money with us? No. We all leave with the same amount. That would be zero. And unless we build our lives on something else, we will be in for a major seismic disorientation. We need to build our life on a foundation that cannot be shaken. And that's the way of Jesus.

The bottom line is that we are generous and we live that life of generosity, which is the way of Jesus, because we worship a generous God. Why are we generous with our money, our time, our talents? We're generous because we worship a generous God, a God who's given us life, not only given us life, but every moment is sustaining our life. He gave us this beautiful world that we live in. He gave us resources like money, but most importantly, what reveals the generosity of our God, is that he gave us his very own heart, his son. John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." So brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of light, let us move from greed, which leads to death, to a generosity that is the way of eternal life.

Thank you for listening to the Light of Christ Weekly Podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. You can find this prayer of Saint Matthew on page 632.

Lord Jesus, you called Matthew from collecting taxes to become your apostle and evangelist. Grant us the grace to forsake all covetous desires, an inordinate love of riches, that we may follow you as he did and proclaim to the world around us the good news of your salvation. For with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen.