MAC KIRK

Advent Insight ! Romans 13 Let me open this new Church Year with a story. I was out walking the dogs the day after Thanksgiving am Friday, and this account popped into my mind regarding the Romans text we heard read . In the early 60's when my Dad was stationed in Viet Nam, my mother, sister and I lived with my grandfather in Philadelphia for a year. It was an old interesting triple decker house in the suburbs of Philly. I had the roam of it, and it was exciting. One day though I got myself into trouble.....I was almost 8 and broke a window in the third floor bathroom trying to open it. I thought my grandfather would be very mad, but he wasn't. He said, " That is an old window anyway and it needed replacing." I felt very guilty about breaking it , and thought I deserved a good punishment. Instead he was kind, loving and grandfatherly in the best sense. This widened my thinking at that very young age! Imagine someone treating you nicely even when you did no...

Moving into Advent Next Week -Psalm 39/ John 6 Someone dialled a wrong number and got the following recording: "I am not available right now, but I thank you for caring enough to call. I am making some changes in my life. Please leave a message after the beep. If I do not return your call, you are one of the changes." - from: http://www.hotsermons.com/sermon-illustrations/sermon-illustrations- Today's Collect is about stirring up our wills so that we can change for the better in our actions and thoughts" STIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. " BCP 1928 Often our lives seem unmanageable and we desire change but can't seem to get out of the rut we are in. Didn't Jesus do that with His disciples in today's Gospel? " WHEN Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company c...

Advent is Near , the Coming of our LORD I John 3; Matthew 24 The Lesson today from ST John begins with something we would not think of for Advent--- the 2nd Coming of Christ and looking back to His birth in the stable in Bethlehem. It begins with these words, " Behold what manner of love hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God...." I Jn 3:1 This love of God is His grace toward sinners when we were not His people--- He called in love to draw us to Christ and eternal life. John Donne said it this way about God's eternal love, " I cannot name a time, when God's love began; it is eternal: I cannot imagine a time, when His mercy will end; it is perpetual." Or as someone else has said so deeply and we sometimes forget this, " There's nothing you can do to earn God's love or undo God's love for you." This love has been bestowed upon us. It is not just out there floating.... It is effectual to those who ...

All Saints Day Sunday As we observe the octave of All Saints from the 1st of November, the Epistle and the Gospel reading for this day from Rev 7 and Matthew 5 first of all remind us of the character of true Christians. The Beatitudes from the Gospel are all too familiar to us, but all Christians are to be of this character. No these qualities are not just for a select few---every Christian is to be meek, a peacemaker, pure in heart, and poor in spirit. Character is all important, is it not? Out of our character and ethical foundation flows our actions. We may call it "moral courage." " Courage is ' that quality of mind which enable one to encounter danger and tribulation with firmness ..without fear." as in Moral Courage by Kidder. John Wayne said " courage is being scared to death---and saddling up anyway." The word blessed in the beatitudes means " happy". We will find that in this life we have plenty of opportunity ...

God's Ways are Remarkable and We Should trust Him! Jeremiah 29 We look at events , situations, and people and our views are just that--- our views. God looks at the same situations, events and people, and says, " I am going to do this; just trust me." That does not always ring our bells does it? We are for the most part not open to it, that is God's ways are not our ways, and that is very difficult. But that is the point, for we do not see Him to face yet in this life. We see through the glass darkly. It helps to set the scene. In Jeremiah 29, our First Reading ( from Morning Prayer) we see this kind of situation. The nation of Israel was going to go into exile into the land of Babylon and prophets as Hananiah said this was not true. Jeremiah stood up and said Hananiah was a false prophet. The LORD told Jeremiah to say in front of all that Hananiah would die within the year and the people to leave the land of Judah, and go to Babylon. Imagine tha...

The Wedding Feast Matthew 22 "Life is a Banquet, and the Cake is for you!" That is what I got in the mail from Farmer's Insurance to remind me I was having a birthday on Saturday. But this could be also applied to how God is preparing and has prepared for us a beautiful end to our journey of life at His feast. We celebrate that in Holy Communion every week but one day we shall be with Him forever. The King had prepared for those who were invited a beautiful banquet . We note that his servants had invited people to the wedding. Vs 5 says they made light of it, but the idea of the greek there is that they just simply ignored it, took no notice. It is not the idea of spurning it ( or making jest at it as the Kjv sounds). How much this sounds like so many people today! The invitation to Christ and His kingdom has been sent out but people just pass it by. "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is on...

Proverbs 2:1-8 " Discernment" Have we ever wondered what is the right course of action in our lives? Certainly this week in the news we have been faced with the news of police officers who have to make immediate decisions and one is now charged with manslaughter because of what the video is showing. None of us want to be faced with that kind of life and death decision, but every day we make decisions, and exercise our understanding of situations that ask us to have discernment. The Benefits of Wisdom-Proverbs 2 1My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; 3For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding;… NASB What does the word discernment mean? It means understanding. "True discernment means not only distinguishing the right from the wrong; it means distinguishing the primary from the secondary, the essential from the indifferent, an...