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The Service For The 22nd Sabbath In Ordinary Time
September 1, 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): “Listen Lord, and answer me. Save Your servant who
trusts in You. I call to You all day long, have mercy on me, O Lord.”
[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): “Listen Lord, and answer me. Save Your servant who
trusts in You. I call to You all day long, have mercy on me, O Lord.”
[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
22nd Sabbath in Ordinary Time is found in:
Jeremiah
20: 7-9
7. O
LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and
hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
8. For
since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the
LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.
9. Then I
said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But [his
word] was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary
with forbearing, and I could not [stay].
Moderator: “This is the word of the Lord.”
Congregation: “Thanks be to God.”
Responsorial Psalm
Response:
“My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.”
Moderator: “O God, You are my God whom I
seek; for You my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched,
lifeless and without water.”
Congregation: “My soul is thirsting for you, O
Lord my God.”
Moderator: Thus have I gazed toward you in
the sanctuary to see Your power and Your glory. For Your kindness is a greater
good than life; my lips shall glorify You.”
Congregation: “My soul is thirsting for you, O
Lord my God.”
Moderator:
Thus will I bless You while I live; lifting up my hands, I will call
upon Your name. As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied, and
with 4exultant lips my mouth shall praise You.”
Congregation: “My soul is thirsting for you, O
Lord my God.”
The New Testament Lesson
Moderator: “The New Testament lesson for the 21st Sabbath in
Ordinary Time is found in:
Romans 12:
1-2
1. I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your
reasonable service.
2. And be
not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will
of God.
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 22nd
Sabbath in Ordinary Time is found in:
Matthew 16:
21-27
21. From
that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go
unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
22. Then
Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this
shall not be unto thee.
23. But
he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence
unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of
men.
24. Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25. For
whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life
for my sake shall find it.
26. For
what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27. For
the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then
he shall reward every man according to his works.
[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
“A Living Sacrifice”
Moderator:
Romans 12:
1 and 2
“I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of you mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God.”
We don’t
think that anyone can argue with the statement that each person’s body is
special to himself. We are the highest life form on the planet. We are at the
top of the food chain. And who knows? Perhaps we are unique in the universe. As
human beings we are collectively unique. Yet, even as we are all alike in our
human-being-ness, we are all unique as individuals. Each one of us has a gene
pattern, a DNA blueprint that spells out just who we, as individuals, are. It
is extraordinary that amongst the six billion inhabitants of earth our DNA
blueprint is singular to us and only us.
But this
is the way God created us to be. Through billions of years of evolution He
guided each step to make sure that each molecule, each gene, each DNA strand
would line up correctly. Scientists may look at evolution and be puzzled by
what they think are gaps. But we Apertarians know better. We know that our God
is an orderly God and that each step was carefully controlled to make sure that
we would evolve the way we are today.
Yet look
at how heterosexual man would rebel against God’s perfect plan. He created us
naked so that all of us could view our own and each other’s uniqueness. The
world would have us cover ourselves to hide that uniqueness. God wants us to be
free to have our bodies be seen and to see other men’s bodies . To see their
penises, their testicles, their nipples, their body hair, their noses, their
buttocks... All of these things help each of us to define who and what we are,
what makes each of us, us.
Our
Savior certainly presented His body as a living sacrifice, when He allowed
Himself to be nakedly crucified on the cross. Was His a beautiful body? NO!
Isaiah 52:
14:
“As many
were astonied at Thee [Christ], His visage was so marred more than any man, and
His form more than the sons of men...”
No, our
Savior was not beautiful at all. But that didn’t stop Him from being a holy
sacrifice unto God. God looks upon the heart. What He sees there pleases or
displeases Him. And we know that Jesus pleased God with His holiness. It is
recorded several times in the Bible. We also know that Jesus’ naked sacrifice
was acceptable to God, because Jesus came back from the dead to tell us so. He
was seen many times after His death. He was the only man who had overcome death.
God had accepted His Son’s naked sacrifice on the cross of Calvary.
But
Christ was not conformed to this world. Oh, He had the form of a human being
and all the hopes and desires that come with the possession of a human body.
Yet His Spirit rose above mere conformity. He had no use for vain repetition of
hollow forms of worship and refused to accept the restrictions of the Law. He
transformed what was a dry, sterile set of self-isolating rules into a dynamic,
positive, out-reaching message of hope. He turned the “thou-shalt-nots” into
“thou-shalts”. He had transformed the Law. He had done the impossible. He
proved through his example what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of
God. And the final triumph, yet the final irony, He did it nakedly. As Adam in
his nakedness had sinned; Christ in His nakedness redeemed the world. He, in
essence, returned to Eden to accomplish the impossible.
Are we
asked, then, to accomplish the impossible? NO! None of us could ever be the
Christ or match Jesus. He was the Son of God, we are the sons of men. However, as St. Paul wrote in our
New Testament lesson for today, we should always be striving to present our
bodies as living sacrifice. We should be striving to keep them holy. Because
our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit we must never put harmful
substances in it. Nor should we ever use our bodies for immoral purposes. We
must save our bodies and share them with only the ones God has called us to
love. We must present ourselves as acceptable sacrifices unto God “which is our
reasonable service.” God will never turn anyone away who seeks Him. But we must
seek Him as He would be sought. We must 1) keep His Sabbaths, 2) choose the
things that please Him and, 3) take hold of His covenant.
We must
imitate Christ, the Perfect Example, and be not conformed to this world. The
first thing the world would have us to do is to cover our naked glory. God
created us in His image, in the way He would want us to live. Yet the world
would have us hide our nakedness, our uniqueness! Our first duty should be to
our Creator. Did not our Savior present Himself to God on the cross in His
nakedness? How then can we do any less. We must always be ready, like Christ,
to not only witness for our faith verbally, but also physically. We must always
seek to go naked as much as possible. It is God’s will for our lives.
We must
always press our legislators to allow us the right to practice our religion in
all our daily affairs. We should automatically have this right because it is
the holy, acceptable and perfect will of God. And we, as Apertarians, are
pledged to live in humble submission to His perfect will.”
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 altar. 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.]