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The Service For The 25th
Sabbath In Ordinary Time
September 22, 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): “I am the Savior
of all people, says the Lord. Whatever their troubles, I will answer their cry,
and I will always be their 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): “I am the Savior of all people, says the Lord. Whatever
their troubles, I will answer their cry, and I will always be their 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 who
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
25th Sabbath in Ordinary Time is found in
Isaiah 55:
6 - 9
6. Seek
ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7. Let
the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him
return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he
will abundantly pardon.
8. For my
thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the
LORD.
9. For
[as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Moderator:
“This is the word of the Lord.”
Congregation:
“Thanks be to God.”
Responsorial Psalm
Response:
“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.”
Moderator: “Every day will I bless you, and
I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord and highly to be
praised; His greatness is unsearchable.”
Congregation: “The Lord is near to all who call
upon Him.”
Moderator: “The Lord is gracious and
merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all and
compassionate toward all His works.”
Congregation: “The Lord is near to all who call
upon Him.”
Moderator:
“The Lord is just in all His ways and holy in all His works. The Lord is
near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.”
Congregation: “The Lord is near to all who call
upon Him.”
The New Testament Lesson
Moderator: The New Testament lesson for the
25th Sabbath in Ordinary Time is found in
Philippians:
1: 20-24:
20.
According to my earnest expectation and [my] hope, that in nothing I shall be
ashamed, but [that] with all boldness, as always, [so] now also Christ shall be
magnified in my body, whether [it be] by life, or by death.
21. For
to me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain.
22. But
if I live in the flesh, this [is] the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall
choose I wot not.
23. For I
am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which
is far better:
24.
Nevertheless to abide in the flesh [is] more needful for you.
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 25th
Sabbath in Ordinary Time is found in:
Mark 20:
1-16
1. For
the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man [that is] an householder, which went
out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
2. And
when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his
vineyard.
3. And he
went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4. And
said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will
give you. And they went their way.
5. Again
he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
6. And
about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith
unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
7. They
say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into
the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, [that] shall ye receive.
8. So
when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the
labourers, and give them [their] hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9. And
when they came that [were hired] about the eleventh hour, they received every
man a penny.
10. But
when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and
they likewise received every man a penny.
11. And
when they had received [it], they murmured against the goodman of the house,
12.
Saying, These last have wrought [but] one hour, and thou hast made them equal
unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13. But
he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou
agree with me for a penny?
14. Take
[that] thine [is], and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto
thee.
15. Is it
not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I
am good?
16. So
the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few
chosen.
[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
“My Ways Are Not Your
Ways...”
Moderator: “In 1776 Thomas Malthus published
an extended essay in which he talked about population control and food supply.
In the essay Mathus pointed out that if we continue to indiscriminately keep
reproducing more people we will sooner or later run out of the ability to feed
them. He demonstrated that while the food supply only grew arithmetically,
population grew exponentially. For his efforts he was severely criticized. The
church proclaimed that we should not make any attempt to regulate the numbers
of our population. It claimed that to do so would go directly against God’s
will and was therefore undesirable. Thomas Malthus with complete aplomb
answered his critics by saying that, since we are finite, it would be
impossible for us to honor the mind of God. Therefore we cannot reason from the
mind of God down to man; we must reason from the mind of man up to God.
God
understands this as our lesson from Isaiah tells us today. He says “For My
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord.”
Right
now, the call to war has come. It is regrettable, to be sure. But it is a
clarion call if ever there was one. And we, as patriotic American citizens,
must answer the call. Now is not the time to shirk our duty. Now is the time to
rally around our flag and defend it and the liberties it stands for with all
our might. We follow in the footsteps of our forefathers and must uphold their
brave tradition. Also we are called upon to do our Apertarian duty as well. As
Gay Christian Nudists God expects to stand up for Him and show Satan that we
will not evade or neglect our duty to Him. We are expected to be brave and
carry His message wherever He has placed us.
St Paul
says in
Ephesians
6: 12-17:
“For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.” And just what weapons are we to use? “Wherefore
take unto you the whole armor of God., that ye may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Now he
begins to explain our Apertarian armor that we have to defend ourselves with.
“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness.” We are to wrap the truth like a supporter around
our hips, and use our soul’s purity as a protector for our chest. “And your
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Our shoes, like the
Roman warrior’s, must give us firm support. And how much firmer can we be then
standing on the sure promises of God? We know, because we have “gone and seen”
the promises of God to His Apertarian people.
St. Paul
further tells us that we are to take “the shield of faith” wherewith you shall
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. The apostle tells us
that this is very important. We must have complete faith in our God. Without it
we are defenseless. To protect our head we must put on the helmet of salvation.
We know what that salvation is. We have had it spelled out for us in the Great
Gay Commission. We must 1) keep His Sabbaths, 2) chose the things that please
Him, and 3) take hold of His covenant. And finally St. Paul tells us to take
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And we know the word of God
concerning us Apertarians. We do as David says.
Psalm 1: 2:
“But his
delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate both day and
night.”
We are
armed like an old Roman solder. There is only one part of our body that is not
protected; our back. All of the rest of our body is covered and protected as
long as we stand and face our enemy. We must constantly be pressing the battle
forward, pushing the enemy continually backward. Just as the old Roman soldier
we can not turn and run. To do so would only show our cowardice. And not only
doing that it would also expose our back, making our defeat just that much more
certain. That is why we must be forever vigilant.
We will
win the war, if we truly and completely believe in God and conduct ourselves as
men. How do we know?
Philippians
4: 13:
“I can do
all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.”
We will
emerge victorious.
Romans 9:
35-39:
“Who
shall separate us from the love of God? shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For
Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him
that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of
God, which in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”
We have
nothing to fear!
Romans 8:
28:
“And we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to His purpose.”
Amen!
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.]