Back to August Services Back to Front Page
The Service For The 19th Sabbath In Ordinary Time
August 11, 2001
[The “+” indicates that the Moderator and the Congregation are to cross themselves, if they should so choose.]
[The men, upon entering, must remove all their clothes and when they have found a proper place to sit, out of respect for the sanctuary of our Lord, must kneel before entering the pew. It is expected that they will furnish and use their own serviettes.]
[The Choir is to sing the antiphon. If there is no Choir the Congregation is to recite it.]
Choir (or Congregation): “Lord, be true to Your covenant, forget not the life of Your poor ones for ever. Rise up, O God, and defend Your cause; do not ignore the shouts of Your enemies.”
[The Altar man, holding the censer, and the Moderator, in that order, line up for the procession. The rest of the Congregation lines up behind them row by row and proceeds to walk around the church in the procession.]
Choir (or Congregation): “Lord, be true to Your covenant, forget not the life of Your poor ones for ever. Rise up, O God, and defend Your cause; do not ignore the shouts of Your enemies.”
[After the procession is over, the Congregation takes their seats and the regular service begins.]
Moderator: + “In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Most Holy and Eternal Trinity.”
Moderator: “Let us all join in a statement of our faith:”
Congregation and Moderator: “We believe that God, through His Holy Word, has made it more than evident as to how He wishes to be worshipped. Man as represented by Adam was created by God in His image. This creation was meant to be in harmony with Nature and the Natural Laws. To this end men were created to be naked and to worship God in that, their natural state. It is only by the shame of having sinned that Adam felt that he had to hide himself behind clothes. We believe that by encasing ourselves in clothes that we are only mimicking Adam in his sin and rebellion against the First Cause. God, in His Holy Wisdom, had given Adam the option of eternal life in his nakedness. But he, in his ignorance, cast away the blessing of nudity that God so fervently wanted him to have. We believe that we of the Apertarian Church must return to the First Cause in the way He has called us to worship Him. We offer an open door to any Gay male that would worship with us in the joys and blessings of his God-given nudity. For those who wish not to join us we offer prayers that God will also bless them. When His time is right He will open their eyes that they might see what has been so abundantly revealed to us.”
Moderator: “Amen.”
Old Testament Lesson
Moderator: “The Old Testament lesson for the 19th Sabbath in Ordinary Time is found in:
1 Kings 19: 9-13
9. And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD [came] to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
10. And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, [even] I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
11. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; [but] the LORD [was] not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; [but] the LORD [was] not in the earthquake:
12. And after the earthquake a fire; [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13. And it was [so], when Elijah heard [it], that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, [there came] a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
Moderator: “This is the word of the Lord.”
Congregation: “Thanks be to God.”
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Response: “Lord, let us see Your kindness, and grant us Your salvation.”
Moderator: “I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord - for He proclaims peace. Near indeed is His salvation to those who fear Him, glory dwelling in our land.”
Congregation: “Lord, let us see Your kindness, and grant us Your salvation.”
Moderator: “Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven.”
Congregation: “Lord, let us see Your kindness, and grant us Your salvation.”
Moderator: “The Lord Himself will give His benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before Him, an salvation, along the way of His steps.”
Congregation: “Lord, let us see Your kindness, and grant us Your salvation.”
The New Testament Lesson
Moderator: “The New Testament lesson for the 19h Sabbath in Ordinary Time is found in
Romans 9: 1-5:
Chapter 9
1. I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
2. That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.
3. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:
4. Who are Israelites; to whom [pertaineth] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service [of God], and the promises;
5. Whose [are] the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ [came], who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Thus endeth the New Testament lesson for today.”
[The Moderator then raises the Bible.]
Moderator: “This is the word of the Lord.”
Congregation: “Thanks be to God.”
The Gospel Lesson
Moderator: “The Gospel lesson for the 19th Sabbath in Ordinary Time is found in
Matthew 14: 22-33
22. And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
24. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31. And immediately Jesus stretched forth [his] hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32. And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
[The Congregation rises as the altar man rings the bells.]
Congregation: + “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Most Holy and Eternal Trinity.”
Moderator: Thus endeth the Gospel for today.”
[The Moderator holds up the Bible]
Moderator: “This is the Word of the Lord.”
Congregation: “Thanks be to God!”
A hymn is sung at this point.
[The Congregation then sits down as the altar man rings the bells.]
The Homily
“Keeping Your Eyes on the Prize!”
Moderator: After feeding five thousand people with only five loaves and two fishes, Jesus felt drained. His cosmic soul force had gone into making those loaves and fishes spread far enough so that everyone got enough to eat. He had to get away, to be by Himself to recharge His batteries, so to speak. So He sent the disciples away telling them to take the boat and row to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, where He would presently meet them. So the disciples climbed into a boat and began rowing to the other side. None of them stopped to ask just how Jesus planned on meeting them over there. They were confident that He would.
As they approached the middle of the Sea of Galilee a storm arose. To several of the disciples this posed no particular problem. They cast aside their clothes and rowed nakedly, confident that the storm would pass. Don’t forget, St. John, St. James and St. Peter were all very able and seasoned fishermen. They were well acquainted with the water and knew how to handle themselves and a boat. But this seemed to be no ordinary storm. Hour after hour they struggled against the wind and the waves, which seemed to want to drive them back continuously. Their naked muscles ached, their naked backs strained, their naked bodies were wet, tired and cold.
Suddenly! At about three in the morning they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. What a sight that must have been! There... in the raging darkness came the figure of Christ, serenely walking through the harsh conditions, gliding easily along on top of the water. And He was moving towards them! Well, needless to say, they were terrified! Someone suggested it was a ghost. The others agreed with him and they began crying out in fear. But Jesus tried to calm them by telling them that it was He and not to be afraid. They didn’t know what to believe. They had never seen anything like this before.
Then Peter spoke up and challenged the figure as it hovered there above the water, silhouetted by lightning, saying: “If it be You, Lord, bid me to come to you.” And Jesus did! He said to Peter: “Get out of the boat and walk to me.” Jesus waited there, patiently. He had called St. Peters’ bluff. So, St. Peter, without a doubt in the world, stepped out of the boat and began walking up to Jesus as He stood there in the raging storm. The disciple didn’t set in the boat, afraid to step out in faith. He didn’t sit there calculating the possibilities of failure. His Lord had bidden him to come to Him, and come to Him he must.
But then St. Peter, halfway to his Lord, hesitated and looked around. How could he be walking on water? That was physically impossible. How could a naked, mature man be walking on water? To St. Peter’s mind it couldn’t make sense. As soon as it started not to make sense, he began to sink. But Jesus was there to reach out and save him when he called on Him for help. His problem was that he took his eyes off of the prize.
We, today, are very much like those disciples. We think That the Lord has sent us away to meet Him somewhere else. We feel very alone, stuck out in a small boat in the middle of the sea. Oh sure, we’re convinced that we’ll see him sometime on the other side of the “sea”. But right now, it sure feels lonely in the boat. And then the troubles start to come. Financial insecurity starts to blow up a storm. Family troubles and health problems rage like storms around us. And there seems to be no end: they just seem to keep on coming and coming. Stronger and stronger they keep raining around us.
But we’re confident we can handle them. Hadn’t we been through them all before? We were seasoned old vets when it came to handling problems. Let them come, we thought with a knowing smile. We can handle them. However, they just kept coming more and more, and presently even we grew weary trying to battle them.
Then, when all is the darkest and it seems our troubles are never going to let up, there appears Christ, seemingly walking on water. At first we feel fear. Is this some kind of apparition; some sort of mid-sea mirage? And we are afraid. Our naked bodies start to tremble. Is the Evil One trying to scare us even more than we are?
“Be of good cheer, it is I; don’t be afraid.” How do we know we can trust those words? So we challenge Him. We tell Him if He is who He says He is tell us to come to Him. Let us walk on water, help us to come up with solutions to our impossible problems. So He bids us come to Him, and He stands there, waiting patiently. At first impulse, like St. Peter, we jump out of the boat and start walking to him. After the first few steps, though, we feel the beating of the rain on our bodies and the pounding waves on our feet. Then we look around; we take our eyes off of Jesus.
And we start to sink.
It is only when we keep our eyes firmly fixed don Jesus that we can truly weather the fierce storms of life. Solutions may seem impossible. Troubles do nothing but keep coming. Money may never be there to help. How are we to cope? What will become of us?
When we reach that point, we are like St. Peter when he took his eyes off of Christ. It all seems too impossible to solve. Too big to conquer. Too overwhelming to be understood. And, perhaps, for our frail human wisdom and understanding it is. But all we have to do is to call on Jesus.
Philippians 4: 13:
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Yes, we can. We Apertarians can do the impossible. We can figuratively walk on water. As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus. As soon as we start looking around and listening to the naysayers we will begin to sink. We must be like runners, always keeping our final goal, Jesus, in sight. We must always keep our eyes on the prize. That way we will never sink!
Thus endeth the homily for today.”
Moderator: + “In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Most Holy and Eternal Trinity.”
The Offering
Moderator: “Jesus has said that the Lord loves a cheerful giver. We pray that you will open up your heart and give so that we may continue to carry God’s message of nakedness, healing and salvation to all those Gay male Nudists who still are suffering needless pain and rejection.”
[The collection plate is then passed around while a hymn is sung. When the collection is completed the collection plate(s) are brought forward and laid on the alter. The Moderator then prays over the gifts.]
Moderator: “Dear heavenly Father, we know we can do nothing to merit Your eternal love. Yet You did love us before the foundation of the world. Accept our humble gifts for Your service and bless the givers also. We pray in Your Son’s name and for Your eternal glory. Amen.”
[The Moderator moves back to the pulpit.]
The Communal Prayer
Moderator: “The Lord be with you.”
Congregation: “And also with you.”
Moderator: + “Let us pray... Oh Lord, we bring before You all of the problems of the day (here list petitions for local problems). Help us to put in proper perspective the trials that You send our way. We ask that You will look down on our efforts and help us to help the Gay male Nudist who still suffers. We ask Your help in particular for N_____ and N_____. We also pray for our leaders who You have put into power. Give them the wisdom to make decisions that reflect Your will. But we always and ever give You thanks and pray that You will work Your will so that one day all men may walk free in their nakedness the way You have created us to be. Let Your Holy Spirit guide us as we pray the way Your Son taught us saying...”
Congregation and Moderator: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thou art the Kingdom and the Glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Moderator: “Amen.”
The Communion Service
[The Moderator moves behind the altar and faces the people.]
Moderator: “Brothers, we are gathered here today to commemorate the sacrifice of our most Holy Lord Jesus Christ who by His willful offering of His perfect self upon the cross secured for us the promise of heaven in the next life and the blessings of nakedness in this life. Let us each examine our consciences and prepare ourselves for the communion service.”
[Here is observed a moment of silence while the men examine their consciences and silently ask for forgiveness.]
Moderator: “The Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread...”
[At this point the Moderator elevates the bread and displays it to all sides of the Congregation while the bells are rung. The priest then genuflects.]
Moderator: “And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me.”
[The Moderator then breaks the wafer into three pieces and places it in the chalice of grape juice.]
Congregation: “This, Lord, we will remember, to keep it holy.”
Moderator. “After the same manner also He took the cup, and when He had supped said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”
[The Moderator then elevates the chalice filled with grape juice and displays it to all sides of the Congregation while the altar man rings the bells. The priest genuflects.]
Congregation: “This, Lord, we will remember, to keep it holy.”
Moderator: “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till He come.”
[The Congregation then lines up to receive communion. The Moderator dips a wafer in the grape juice and offers it to each communicant. Each may take communion the way he feels is right, i.e., standing, or kneeling, in his hand or in his mouth, etc. When all have received communion the Moderator then offers communion to the altar man, if there is one. He then takes communion himself, and drinks ALL OF THE GRAPE JUICE IN THE CHALICE. He carefully washes the chalice and covers it with an altar cloth. He then returns to the pulpit.]
[A hymn is sung.]
Moderator: “Please stand for the final benediction.’
[The Congregation stands.]
Moderator: + “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Go thy way and be at peace in thy nakedness. The service is ended. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, most Holy and Eternal Trinity.”
[At this point a closing hymn may be sung.]
[The Congregation then observes a moment of silence while the Moderator goes to the front door to welcome the men as they exit. When the altar man rings the bells the men are then free to dress and leave the service.]