For a small group study: From the Book of Common Prayer: GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe thy only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens; so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with him continually dwell, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen. Luke’s account: Acts 1:1-12 What happened when Jesus arrived in “heaven?”  - Jesus began his reign as the true King David: Ephesians 1:15-23; I Cor. 15:24-26; - There was war: John’s account: Revelation 12.* - There was Pentecost: Peter’s commentary: Acts 2:14-36 Paul’s commentary: Ephesians 4:7-12; we understand this equipping of the Church to be the very thing that happened at Pentecost (the gift of the Spirit was given, with his gifts), Acts 2:16-17.  Cf. Hebrews 1:3 - We arrived in heaven, too: Ephesians 2:4-7; if you will, this is “the first resurrection” Revelation 20:1-6 (cf. Romans 6).  Re...

Sermon preached today at St. Luke's Epsicopal, Blue Ridge, GA, by The Rev. Victor Morgan Easter 3 (MP-1) (2019)  A young mother returned from her first Mother’s Day service in an Episcopal Church and was sorely disappointed.   It seems that Mother’s Day in the church in which she grew up was much bigger – second perhaps only to Christmas or Easter. But in this service the day got bare recognition . . . and they even ran out of red carnations. Well, here at St. Luke’s we aim for the middle way . . . the via media between making it Holy Mother’s Day and ignoring the holiday all together.  While continuing to focus on the theme suggested in our appointed lessons, we nevertheless, try not to short change our mothers or fail to note the importance of the home. This last – the importance of the home -- is of particular is importance at this time. How so?  Because the homes in which many of us grew up are almost non-existent . . . not completely but almost....

Free college tuition is being touted at present, with the claim (opinion) that college education is a right.  After all, everyone needs a job (note the questions begged here)  Of course, such an arrangement would be one more straw on the camel's back of our economy. We already have a "free" (tax-payer paid) education system, that, if it was doing a wiser job, would make college unnecessary for many people.  If we would get rid of our "one size fits all" mind-set, and recognize that people are different, we could do much to serve our young better. Why do we make teen-aged students - especially boys - sit through classes in highschool that they know are not fitting them for anything they want to do?  We need to do what the Brits do: differentiate between those who are talented for academic careers and those who will be entering trades.  We need to discern the differences between our students and serve those who need to be learning a trade.  Get those ener...

The Rt. Rev. William Meade, Bishop of Virginia From the Memoir of the Life of Bishop Meade regarding an agreement made among the bishops convened in 1838 for the consecration of Bishop Leonidas Polk: Among the private devotional exercises of Bishop Meade, the following prayer and superscription are found in his own handwriting: "The following is the joint composition of Bishop Otey and myself, the result of an agreement between Bishops McIlvaine, Otey, Polk and myself, to pray specially for each other every Sabbath morning: "O God, who art pleased not merely to receive the intercessions of thy son Jesus Christ in behalf of Thy poor sinful creatures, but dost command them to pray one for another, and promise that the effectual fervant prayer of the righteous shall much avail, favorably regard the prayers of Thy servants for themselves and each other, which we desire to offer up, trusting that our great Advocate will intercede mightily for us with Thee. "And oh...