MAC KIRK

Last of the Church Year- Sunday Next before Advent What comes to mind when we say " Christ the King" ? Of course that He reigns in heaven & the world we live in is not just a hodgpodge of occurences. Revelation for today says, " Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, & the ruler of the kings on earth." " ( He is ) Alpha and Omega, who is , who was, and is to come...." Not only is He a king but He has made us " a kingdom, priests to His God and Father.." ( Because "He loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood.) The hymns and canticles we have help us to understand and remember this" " Rejoice, the LORD is king!" written by Charles Wesley and the vs in 1746 " Hymns for our Lord's Resurrection" first line, Rejoice--the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing and triumph evermore! Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, a...

Hebrews 10:34 " A Better Possession & Abiding" Often we feel so drained and faithless that we need the encouragement of the Church( " let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together-10:24), & the fact that Jesus entered " into the holy place by the blood of ( His own blood) Jesus" -10:19, that we forget that we also have " a better possession and an abiding one"-10:34. 1. " You yourselves have a better possession and an abiding one... " A better possession- stronger, more excellent . This word is so often used in Hebrews. 7:19- We have a better hope ( here the writer contrasts this with the law " (which) "made nothing perfect) by which we draw nigh unto God. Origination of the word better- kreíttōn (the comparative form of krátos, "dominion" – what is better because more fully developed, i.e. in reaching the needed dominion (mastery, domin...

Hebrews 9:24-28 " ( Here is)..another comparison of the blood of the sacrifices with Christ, the Levitical high priests entering by their holy places into the sanctuary, offered corruptible blood for one year only: but Christ entering into that holy body of his, entered by it into heaven itself, offering his own most pure blood for an everlasting redemption: for Christ is both the High Priest, Tabernacle, Sacrifices and Offerings themselves, indeed all those both truly and for ever." Geneva Study Bible " Human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy." CS Lewis ( We can fill in the blank here based on our personal experience.......) --- Today we consider Hebrews 9. This is the most extraordinary beautiful lovely passage in Hebrews for it does give us the essential of Biblical true religion, not the religion of man made stuff. Holy body, entering heaven itself, pure blood for everlasting red...

Tried and True Hebrews 11:32-12:2 ( Evening Prayer- All Saints 28 BCP) When I was at Princeton Seminary by the bus stop near my student apartments I was complaining to one of the students about something...( forgotten now), but I will never forget the response. " And how's that working for you?" That hit me right between the eyes. I had needed that friendly rebuke. I had kept trying to get something done and was going about it wrong. If you want to get something done the right way I would say try it by the " Tried and True method of attack ( so to speak)" " Therefore let us also.." In other words Hebrews 12:1 tells of a secret to spiritual victory instead of defeat. " Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses..." Run the race that is set before us. This is a spiritual race to the end of our lives. We should not look to the runners on the track but to those who " have bor...