A Short Sunday Sermon

 

Our Gospel text this morning was John's Prologue, In the beginning was the Word... read it, it's not long and, for me, the most majestic passage of Scripture. Such unfathomable depth expressed with such simplicity. John's Prologue alone is a testimony to the Apostle's holiness and sanctified vision.

That said, it's a fearsome text for the preacher to approach, how to do it any kind of justice. So I marched up to Doctor X at Mission #2 who writes books like I like to buy firearms, which is often, and asked, "Herr Doktor, would you like to preach this morning on John 1?" He looked me straight in the eye, grinned, and said with professorial candor, "No." 

So it was up to me and I gave it a safe shot, asking the people why and to what end did the Word become Flesh. Answer? To reconcile us to God, demonstrate divine love, provide a model of holiness and make us partakers of the Divine Nature. That said, here's Chrysostom, and with it a sermon:

What shall I say! And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of days has become an infant. He Who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger. And He Who cannot be touched, Who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject to the hands of men. He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infants bands. But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness.

For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit that He may save me.

Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels.

Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He became Flesh. He did not become God. He was God. Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things are nourished, may receive an infants food from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; and the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star.

To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the Father, and to the Holy Spirit, we offer all praise, now and forever. Amen.

Merry Christmas,

LSP 

Taking it Easy

 

Just taking it easy here, eating steaks, cleaning guns and scorning Libs. Simple math, and that's alright.

Your Pal,

LSP

Evening Prayer

 

Look here, you heathen, it's important to read, mark and inwardly digest the Word of God because His Word informs our word, the thoughts of our hearts. And this means, in the first instance, making the actual effort to read the, you know, Bible.

Good job, we've got this far, but how to do it, what's the training program? Try this, Morning and Evening Prayer in which you're taken through the Old and New Testaments, canticles, psalms, epistles and gospels and on, and all within the framework of a daily discipline of prayer.

Maybe this seems boring to you, as in "prayer, how very boring." Think again. If you want to confront and fight evil, gear up for the higher battle, against the demonic powers of the air, of evil in high places. And you can do all of this, or part of it, in the Daily Office. 

I like the 1928 BCP form and you might too. I tell you, give it a spin and you'll be rewarded. Not kidding. Say the Office.

Your Old Pal,

LSP

Libs Hate This

 

Why would Libs hate this so? Regardless, we love it, via Borepatch, here at the Compound.

Cheers,

LSP

Trooping The Colour

You might think this stupid and irrelevant. Maybe you should think again.

Your Pal,

LSP

Holy Saturday Inspiration

Pretty Holy Saturday, right? Not that we need an excuse to run this  top song.

LSP

All In A Day's Work

If you went to Mass, like a Christian, you might have noticed that the Gospel was all about servants being given Talents, vast sums of money which they have to give an account of at the Last Judgement. 

One miserable servant buries his Talent in the ground and gives it back to his returning master only to get roundly castigated, "You wicked and slothful servant!" 

Typical Brush Pile

It seems harsh until you compute the eternal cost of burying and ignoring your God-given ability, the Word of God and the indwelling presence of Christ in your life.

Imagine, when our Lord returns in clouds of glory and looks you straight in the eye and says, "What did you do with the skills I gave you, the Good News of salvation and Myself?" And you, looking shiftily at the ground reply, "Well, I buried all that in the ground, in a pit." It doesn't look good, does it.

Stand At Ease!

With that in mind, the Cadet and a Force Multiplier worked hard today after Mass, clearing brush behind the church. It's a significant job and they worked hard, using their God given abilities for the increase of the Kingdom.

Random Battle Rifle

And let the reader understand, it kept them off the streets and outta the bars. Well done, kids.

It's better outdoors,

LSP 

That's Pretty Country

This sure is country, I thought as I looked at the machinery in the back of someone's rig in Walmart's famous country car park. Perhaps I should set up a chapel at this particular super-center and doubtless do a roaring trade. 

But seriously, what's happened to all the country pursuits that LSPland is famous for; shooting, fishing, riding, armed walkabouts in the bucolic mesquite groves of Olde Texas. What's happened to all of that? 

Getting a 17 year old into the hallowed halls of rural academe is what's happened, and I tell you this. It's not necessarily easy transferring a kid from the Canadian system into the Texan one, at least academically. By contrast, the football part wasn't hard at all; come on in and join the team was their motto.

Still, the High School enrollment evolution is almost over, which means the horizons of sporting life are starting to open up again, thank God. Must get back in the saddle, catch some fish and see if I still know how to shoot.

Look At All The Great Guns I've Bought!

Speaking of shooting, I'm tempted to do two things. One, buy an over and under shotgun and two, a .357 Magnum revolver. But all that's hypothetical. After Hurricane Harvey, Texas may have ceased to exist, sinking, like Atlantis, under the waves of a tumultuous sea.

Thunder is heaving across the sky as I write this fascinating entry, and that's country life.

In Texas,

LSP

Mix it up, Fool!

Everyone's bored of "the usual spot" and stories of Bluegill rising from the depths and into the fry pan, and I don't blame you. It's been samey. So, with an eye on adventure, I went to the other side of lake Whitney dam, to the spillway, to see what was up.

I'll tell you what was up, SeaWorld. A brief recce from the top of the riprap told me there were plenty of fish in the channel, and in the pool beneath the fishing pier. Big Gar, up to 4' long, maybe larger, sizable catfish, suspended in wait of prey, schools of young Sand Bass darting about and who knows what else. Just all kinds of fish, visible through the technology of a pair of polarized Ugly Stick sunglasses. Cheap, maybe $10 at Walmart.

Excited at the prospect of catching a monster, I cast off with a light rod, 12lb test, a treble hook and a worm, weightless (WWR). Natural presentation and no resistance rules, says fishing wisdom. Well, let's see about that, I thought, cynically.

Kaboom! No sooner had the worm begun to sink than something hit it like a Rhodesian Light Infantry flying column. Thrash! Drag out! Rod bent double, and remember, it's a light rod. Then up came a Gar; they're gentle giants, for all their ferocious prehistoric teeth, and this was a young one. Back you go, my friend.

Just for kicks, I moved down the pier and cast off by the wall of the dam. There were big Catfish lurking in the depths, you could see them, and who knows, maybe they'd be interested in the weightless worm rig.

After a few minutes waiting, what cost patience?, something most certainly was. The fish tore out into mid-pool and dived ferociously for the bank, then back again. A fighter. This went on for maybe 5 minutes, which seemed like the 10 seconds of forever, until the fish was finished. I reeled him in. A Catfish, not a monster, but not far off, either. 

An hour or two later, Striper, Black Drum, and more Catfish than I could be bothered to count struck the WWR and came in. Pretty much every cast a fish, and good ones, too. If I'd had a cooler, well, there'd be a big fish fry tonight.

As it is, a couple of fat Bluegill are about to hit the pan.

Fish On,

LSP

Wake Up!

You're sleepy? Look here, you bandits. The day starts at 5.

And so it did, starting with day one. By the time the sun was rising, there we were, on the way to somewhere in Texas to hunt hogs. We passed through Gustine, Blanket, Brownwood, San Angelo and weren't too far from Mexico.

Switch on, Bandits

"So whaddya do if you meet an illegal alien, kids?" Moment of silence and then, "Send him up to the Mother Ship?" Another moment of silence, "Well, I'd give them a meal and a beer. Then maybe I'd build a wall."

If You Meet The Buddha on The Road...

We set up up camp and got after the pigs. That meant climbing up into stands and scouting trails, and the result?

Therein lies another tale.

Gun Rights,

LSP

Is This Texas?

No, it's somewhere in the North of England.

Kick out the JAMS,

LSP

Go For Another Walk in The Woods

My philisophical pal, GWB, tipped up on Sunday night with a view towards some steaks and an armed stroll in the woods the following day. The steaks were good and so were the the woods, but just in case the latter needed pacifying, we took a small arsenal along.

GWB brought a Remington 870 because a 12 is always useful; I think it's his duck gun. I brought a Ruger American .22 and a .45. Who knows, maybe I'd have to use the pistol to get to the rifle, but even if I had to, I doubt I'd be much use with the rifle. 

Check Out The Pipe

I know this, because I fired off a couple of magazines off-hand against some steel plates, at around 50 yards, before we got to the woods and was appalled by my marksmanship, or rather lack of it. A couple of remedial afternoons at the range is definitely in order. 

Missing the target practice over, we headed into the thorny thicket of the woods, hoping for squirrels. They didn't show, but a stream did. It was tranquil, standing there looking down at the water and seeing fish glide and dart their way along the banks.

Go To The Woods

Water feature enjoyed, it was time to set up by some oaks and try to call in the bushy tailed tree dwellers. No joy, but the sound of the water moving in the near distance, and the woods coming alive in the silence, was soothing to the soul. 

Water, in Texas

At least it was for me, I'm not sure what GWB was up to. He was in a different spot, hidden in the brush, doubtless parsing John Milbank or texting some PH out of Eckland.

Time well spent communing with nature, we made our way out of the woods and back to what passes for civilization, pulled pork sandwiches at Dickey's BBQ Pit. And right tasty they were too.

Next time out, I'll try and shoot something.

God bless,

LSP

Veterans Day Prayer

O Lord, we give You thanks for our veterans, for their willingness to risk all so that our nation might dwell in peace and safety. May they receive the honor and recognition they deserve. We pray for those who suffer from physical, spiritual, and psychological wounds, that they might know Your healing presence. We pray for our nation, that it may treasure the freedoms which have been won through the sacrifices and courage of those who have given themselves for the protection of others. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

LSP