Fixing the Canadian Senate

Posted on May 27, 2013 by

The NDP has convinced itself that Canada does not need a Senate. I have been a “leftie” for more than 55 years and belonged to the party in the 1960s and 1970s. I do not agree with them on this issue. I believe we need the Senate.  You need only to look at Harper’s government to see why: it is secretive, arrogant and careless with democratic niceties (as John Ibbitson said in his Globe and Mail article of May 27, 2013).  Can you imagine what this government would get away with without a chamber of sober second  thought?

The Senate, supposedly nonpartisan, can initiate discussion and legislation on issues that political parties find too hot to handle. It can hold up and send back to the House of Commons legislation that the government has rushed through using closure. Note that while they can amend Commons legislation and send it back, they cannot overturn it, contrary to what NDP leader Thomas Mulcair suggests, and they can send it back only a limited number of times. What they contribute is the time for both houses to look more closely at those all-inclusive omnibus bills favoured by Harper’s government.

But to do this job the Senators have to be truly nonpartisan. Senators need to exercise unbiased opinion, mature judgment and  free conscience.  They owe Canada their  industry and sound judgment. They betray Canada if they  relinquish their judgment  to a party platform.  I was appalled when I read that Harper made all his appointees to the Senate swear allegiance to the Conservative Party platform. An elected Senate either first past the post or proportional system would involve political parties  and parties requiring their members  to vote in accordance with the party line on significant legislation, on pain of censure or expulsion from the party.

In The Globe and Mail of May 27, Tom Flanagan offers a possible solution based on “the Mother of Parliaments, the original source of our own Constitution.” I like the idea of a prime minister at the beginning of his term (perhaps in his oath of office) committing to “seek advice for all future Senate appointments before recommending them to the governor-general… as is now done with appointments to the Supreme Court of Canada.” Of course, you cannot have the recommendations reviewed by a House of Commons committee, but you could have them reviewed by the province the individual senators are supposed to represent.

Posted in News and politics | 1 Comment

On read common prayer

Posted on June 6, 2012 by

Some fundamentalists feel uncomfortable with set prayers being read in church.  They feel it a hindrance to zealous praying by the Spirit. The Spirit actually can speak quite clearly though the words of a written prayer. The church of the Old Testament made extensive use of set prayers.

The Psalms are written prayers to be read out loud by the worshipers: a Hebrew  Book of Common Prayer. The majority are constructed in four sections: 1. a brief invocation of God, often no more than the divine name; 2. a cry for hearing and help; 3. a statement of the nature and causes of the misfortune; and 4. a prayer for deliverance. Psalms 15, 24, 50, 75, 85, 118, and 121 are actual liturgies: the spoken (read) parts of old Hebrew services.

Christ himself made use of a set prayer in the New Testament when he taught his disciples a form to pray by, the Lord’s Prayer. The church of the Apostles used liturgies from which we get our most moving and beautiful prayers. Surely the Holy Spirit speaks whenever we recite the  Nunc Dimittis from St. Luke 2. 29: “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, / according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, / which thou has prepared before the face of all people; To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, / and to be the glory of thy people Israel. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, / world without end. Amen.”

Some of the most devout men of all ages composed and used written prayers where the voice of the Spirit is clearly heard.  Saint Chrysostom’s prayer is just one example: “Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their requests: Fulfill now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen.”

So often with extempore prayer the petitions go on and on and do not particularly inspire the congregation. After they are over, not all who heard them remember them.  Through the ages many people filled with the spirit, and good Christians all, have used liturgical prayers with serious and sincere devotion. From personal experience I can attest that reciting the prayers in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer help me in meditating on the worship and in contacting my inner spirit. For me the liturgical prayers make my devotions lively, useful and meditative.

Posted in Religion, Religion - Anglican | 1 Comment

Nora’s Warrior

Posted on May 11, 2012 by

My younger grand-daughter, Nora while shopping with her maternal grandmother, saw a terracotta warrior replica she thought looked like me. I eventually bought and repaired it (was damaged and being sold “as is”). It now sits in our backyard under our Japanese lilac tree.

Posted in Family | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Wanted: Parliamentarians with independent minds

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

To counter the notion that elected officials should merely be delegates and blindly follow the party line, I think all elected representatives should subscribe to Edmund Burke’s principle of representative government.

“.. it ought to be the happiness and glory of a representative to live in the strictest union, the closest correspondence, and the most unreserved communication with his constituents. Their wishes ought to have great weight with him; their opinion, high respect; their business, unremitted attention. It is his duty to sacrifice his repose, his pleasures, his satisfactions, to theirs; and above all, ever, and in all cases, to prefer their interest to his own. But his unbiased opinion, his mature judgment, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you, to any man, or to any set of men living. These he does not derive from your pleasure; no, nor from the law and the constitution. They are a trust from Providence, for the abuse of which he is deeply answerable. Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.”

During the debate and vote on Bill C-38 I became very uneasy about political parties requiring their members to vote in favour of a party policy against their conscience and writing into their party policy phrases like “introduce legislation without a free vote” and “members shall vote in favour of.” Jack Layton did not allow a free vote and punished Bev Desjarlais for voting against Bill C-38 even though her vote was clearly a matter of conscience and personal religious conviction.  Voting your conscience and religious convictions are an equal right to be protected at all costs.

The parliamentary system of government as we inherited it is based on the principle of representative government.  Political parties complicate the system since their members are required by the party to vote in accordance with the party line on significant legislation, on pain of censure or expulsion from the party.

We have the United States as an example of what happens when party discipline is less important and voting against one’s party is more common, resulting in a dysfunctional government.  The Canadian party system, because of party discipline,  does allow the party which has the confidence of Parliament to govern.

I do not, however, think that party discipline should be so strong that it stifles independent thinking.  In the last federal election all the Conservative candidates toed the party (Harper) line and didn’t debate issues. This is not good for democracy. Equally, the NDP establishment requiring party members to vote against their conscience is bad for our representative system. I have always looked closely at my local candidates  as to how open they are to voting their conscience.

I like Thomas Mulcair because he was not the choice of the NDP establishment.  I think it would be a good thing for him to work toward changing the NDP constitution to include Edmund Burke’s principle of representative government. It would make the NDP more democratic and more attractive to people who elect their representative on the basis of more than the party line and leader.

Posted in News and politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ed Broadbent is NO elder statesman.

Posted on March 24, 2012 by

I admit to leaning somewhat left politically. When I was younger I was a card carrying member of the NDP.  Even worked for Dan Heap and Barbara Beardsley. Since moving to Kitchener, I have voted Liberal more than once; the last time voting strategically to stop a Harper majority. So I have more than a passing interest in the NDP leadership race.

I listened to some of the NDP leadership candidates’ speeches Saturday night and Broadbent’s commentary after on CBC’s Politics & Power and TVO’s Agenda. Last night, I lost all respect I ever had for former party leader Ed Broadbent, who had been credited with the most successful election result before Layton led the party to 103 seats in the House last May. No Mulcair’s speech didn’t bomb.

I agree with former party leader Alexa McDonough when she said that she didn’t think any former party leader should take “a sledgehammer” to any of the contestants, considering how it could be used against them by political opponents back in the House of Commons. I also agree with Former MP Lorne Nystrom when he called Broadbent’s comments unbecoming of a former leader.

Broadbent is too vocal a supporter of candidate Brian Topp. Broadbent should never have been so critical of Mulcair in interviews last Saturday. Leave the attack ads to the Harper Conservatives. They have no place in the NDP!

Posted in News and politics | Leave a comment

Penitence in the 1962 Book of Common Prayer Canada

Posted on February 26, 2012 by

Today at Church our Rector used the BAS “Litany of Penitence” in place of the BCP general Confession in the Communion and based his sermon on this Ash Wednesday Litany. He seems to think it particularly well written and something we should all hear.  Personally I’m not too thrilled with mixing in the mediocre language of BAS with the beauty of the BCP language, the language the way  Shakespeare wrote it. Especially as the Rector had available a BCP service that fits much better with the language of the 1962 Canadian Book of Common Prayer.  See for yourself ( in the Prayer Book Society of Canada’s “The Prayer Book Online.”)  beginning on page 611:

A PENITENTIAL SERVICE

FOR USE ON ASH WEDNESDAY AND AT OTHER TIMES

This Office may be used as a separate service, or with Morning or Evening Prayer, Litany, or Holy Communion. When used with Morning or Evening Prayer, it may take the place of all that follows the Benedictus or Nunc Dimittis, beginning at Miserere Mei, Deus, Psalm 51.

When this Service is used alone, the Ministers and Clerks shall enter the Church in silence. and begin it with the Sentences following:

JESUS came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye and believe the Gospel.

St Mark 1. 14, 15.

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

St John 6. 37.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

St Matthew 11. 28–30.

Then may be sung a penitential Hymn.

On Ash Wednesday or early in Lent, the Priest shall turn to the people and say the following Exhortation:

BRETHREN, in the primitive Church it was the custom to observe with great devotion the days of our Lord’s Passion and Resurrection, and to prepare for the same by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided also a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for holy Baptism. It was also a time when such persons as had, by reason of notorious sins, been separated from the body of the faithful, were reconciled and restored to the fellowship of the Church by penitence and forgiveness. Thereby the whole Congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution contained in the Gospel of our Saviour, and of the need which all Christians continually have, of a renewal of their repentance and faith. I therefore invite you, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance, by prayer, fasting, and self-denial, and by reading and meditation upon God’s holy Word.

Here shall be read the following LESSON: Joel 2. 12–18.

Then the Priest, in the place where he is accustomed to say the Litany, shall Say with the People, all kneeling, PSALM 51, Miserere Mei, Deus, page 394. After which he shall say:

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

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 them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.

Minister. O Lord, save thy servants;

People. That put their trust in thee.

Minister. Send unto them help from above;

People. And evermore mightily defend them.

Minister. Help us, O God our Saviour;

People. And for the glory of thy Name deliver us; be merciful unto us sinners, for thy Name’s sake.

Minister. O Lord, hear our prayer;

People. And let our cry come unto thee.

Here the Collect of the day shall be said if it be not used elsewhere in the Service. Then the prayers flowing shall be said.

O LORD, we beseech thee, mercifully hear our prayers, and spare all those who confess their sins unto thee; that they, whose consciences by sin are accused, by thy merciful pardon may be absolved; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O MOST mighty God, and merciful Father, who hast compassion upon all men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made; who wouldest not the death of a sinner, but that he should rather turn from his sin, and be saved: Mercifully forgive our trespasses; receive and comfort us, who are grieved and wearied with the burden of our sins. Thy property is always to have mercy; to thee only it appertaineth to forgive sins. Spare, O Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast deemed; enter not into judgement with thy servants, who truly repent us of our faults, but so make haste to help us in this world, that we may ever live with thee in the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then shall the Priest and people say:

TURN thou us, O good Lord, and so shall we be turned. Be favourable, O Lord, Be favourable to thy people, Who turn to thee in weeping, fasting, and praying. For thou art a merciful God, Full of compassion, long-suffering, and of great pity. Thou sparest when we deserve punishment, And in thy wrath thinkest upon mercy. Spare thy people, good Lord, Spare them, and let not thine heritage be brought to confusion. Hear us, O Lord, for thy mercy is great, And according to the multitude of thy mercies took upon us; Through the merits and mediation of thy blessed Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

If there be a Communion, the Priest may then begin the Communion, rehearsing the Ten Commandments, with the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel provided for Ash Wednesday.

If there be no Communion, the Priest shall read St Matthew 5. 1–20, or some other portion of the Sermon on the Mount, after which an instruction may be given.

He shall then end the Service with the devotions following, or other prayers from this Book.

Priest and People. Lord, for thy tender mercies’ sake, lay not our sins to our charge; But forgive that is past, and give us grace to amend our sinful lives; To decline from sin, and incline to virtue, That we may walk with a perfect heart before thee, now and evermore.

Priest. Remember, O man, that dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

People. Lord, have mercy upon us.

Priest. Lord, hear our prayer.

People. And let our cry come unto thee.

Priest. Let us pray.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who forgavest the people of Nineveh when they repented in sackcloth and ashes: Mercifully grant that we, truly repenting of our sins, may obtain of thee perfect pardon and release; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O GOD our Father, who makest thy sun to rise upon the evil and upon the good, and sendest rain upon the just and upon the unjust: Help us to love our enemies, and to forgive those who trespass against us, that we may receive of thee the forgiveness of our sins, and be made thy children in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

LORD of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

An Anthem, which may he said or sung, all kneeling:

O KING all glorious amid thy saintly company, / who ever shalt be praised:

Thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, / and we are called by thy holy Name.

Leave us not, O our God; / but grant us that with a pure conscience we may duly keep the Paschal Feast,

And at the day of judgement / be placed in the number of thy Saints and chosen ones, King most blessed.

Then the minister alone shall say:

THE LORD bless us, and keep us. The LORD make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and give us peace, both now and evermore. Amen.

THE BCP Litany

If our rector wanted the responses,  he could have used the BCP Litany. I miss the BCP Litany; haven’t attended one since moving to Kitchener 18 years ago. Our Toronto church used schedule a choral BCP litany on the 5th Sunday of the month. Here it is thanks to the Prayer Book Society of Canada’s “The Prayer Book Online” beginning on page 30.

THE LITANY

Which may be sung or said before the Holy Communion; or after the Creed at Morning or Evening Prayer, instead of the remaining part of the Service; or as a separate service, with Hymns, a Psalm, a Lesson, the Creed, and a Sermon, at the discretion of the Minister.

The Litany should always be used at least once a month on a Sunday, and is commended for use on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Rogation Days.

O GOD the Father, Creator of heaven and earth : have mercy upon us.

O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth : have mercy upon us.

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world : have mercy upon us.

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world : have mercy upon us

O God the Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of the faithful: have mercy upon us.

O God the Holy Ghost, Sanctifier of the faithful: have mercy upon us.

O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three Persons and one God : have mercy upon us.

O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three Persons and one God: have mercy upon us.

REMEMBER not, Lord, our offences, nor the offences of our forefathers; spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood.

Spare us, good Lord.

FROM all evil and mischief; from sin, from the crafts and assaults of the devil; from thy wrath, and from everlasting condemnation,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice, and all uncharitableness,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all uncleanness in thought, word, and deed; and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From lightning and tempest; from earthquake, fire, and flood; from plague, pestilence, and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all sedition, conspiracy, and rebellion; from all false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word and Commandment,

Good Lord, deliver us.

By the mystery of thy holy Incarnation; by thy holy Nativity; by thy Baptism, Fasting, and Temptation,

Good Lord, deliver us.

By thine Agony and bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial,

Good Lord, deliver us.

By thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension; by thy sending of the Holy Spirit; by thy heavenly Intercession; and by thy Coming again in glory,

Good Lord, deliver us.

In all times of tribulation; in all times of prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgement,

Good Lord, deliver us.

WE sinners do beseech thee to hear us, O Lord God: and that it may please thee to rule and govern thy holy Church universal in the right way.

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To keep and strengthen in the true worshipping of thee, in holiness of life, and in devotion to her people, thy servant ELIZABETH, our most gracious Queen and Governor,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To be her defender and keeper, giving her the victory over all her enemies,

 We beseech thee, good Lord.

To bless and preserve [*.........] and all the Royal Family,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

* Here shall be named, as determined by authority from time to time, the several members of the Royal Family.

To give to all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, true knowledge and understanding of thy Word; and that both by their preaching and living they may set it forth and show it accordingly,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

[To bless thy servants at this time to be admitted to the Order of Deacons or of Priests, and to pour thy grace upon them; that they may duly execute their office to the edifying of thy Church, and to the glory of thy holy Name,

We beseech thee, good Lord.]

To be used in the Ember Weeks, and on the day of an Ordination.

To send forth labourers into thy harvest; to prosper their work by thy Holy Spirit; to make thy saving health known unto all nations; and to hasten thy kingdom,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To bless the people of our Country and the Commonwealth, and to endue those set in authority with grace, wisdom, and understanding,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To bless and guide the Judges and Magistrates, giving them grace to execute justice, and to maintain truth,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To bless and keep the Queen’s forces by sea, and land, and air, and to shield them in all dangers and adversities,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To give to all nations unity, peace, and concord, that they may serve thee without fear,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To bless and protect all who serve mankind by their labour and learning,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To preserve all that travel, all women labouring of child, all sick persons and young children; and to show thy pity upon all prisoners and captives,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To defend, and provide for, all widows and orphans, and all who are desolate and oppressed,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To bless and keep all thy people,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To give to all thy people increase of grace, to hear meekly thy Word, and to receive it with pure affection, and to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To bring into the way of truth all who have erred and are deceived,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To strengthen such as do stand; to encourage the faint-hearted; to raise up those who fall; and finally to beat down Satan under our feet,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To succour, help, and comfort all that are in danger, necessity, and tribulation,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To have mercy upon all men,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To give and preserve to our use the kindly fruits of the earth, so that in due time we may enjoy them,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and to turn their hearts,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

To give us true repentance; to forgive us all our sins, negligences, and ignorances; and to endue us with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, to amend our lives according to thy holy Word,

We beseech thee, good Lord.

SON of God, we beseech thee to hear us.

Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world;

Have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world;

Grant us thy peace.

O Christ, hear us.

O Christ, hear us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us. 

Lord, have mercy upon us.

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 them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.

Then shall follow the Collect of the day.

A Prayer of Saint Chrysostom.

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their requests: Fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen.

2 Corinthians 13. 14.

THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.

When the Litany is read immediately before the Holy Communion, the Minister may proceed, after the Lord’s Prayer of the Litany, to the Communion Service, which may begin with the Mutual Salutation and the Collect of the day.

A SUPPLICATION

Which may be used before the Prayer of Saint Chrysostom in the Litany, or at other Services, especially in the Penitential Seasons and in times of trouble.

Minister and People. O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for thy Name’s sake.

Minister. O God, we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have declared unto us, the noble works that thou didst in their days, and in the old time before them.

Minister and People. O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for thine honour.

Minister. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;

People. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Minister and People. O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for thy Name’s sake.

From our enemies defend us, O Christ;

Graciously look upon our afflictions.

Pitifully behold the sorrows of our hearts;

Mercifully forgive the sins of thy people.

Favourably with mercy hear our prayers;

O Son of David, have mercy upon us.

Both now and ever vouchsafe to hear us, O Christ;

Graciously hear us, O Christ; graciously hear us, O Lord Christ.

Then shall be said one or both of these prayers, with the versicles preceding:

Minister. O Lord, let thy mercy be shown upon us;

People. As we do put our trust in thee.

Minister.

WE humbly beseech thee, O Father, mercifully to look upon our infirmities; and, for the glory of thy Name, turn from us all those evils that we most justly have deserved; and grant that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and confidence in thy mercy, and evermore serve thee in holiness and pureness of living, to thy honour and glory; through our only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Minister. O Lord, deal not with us according to our sins;

People. Neither reward us according to our iniquities.

Minister.

O GOD, merciful Father, that despisest not the sighing of a contrite heart, nor the desire of such as be sorrowful: Mercifully assist our prayers that we make before thee in all our troubles and adversities, whensoever they oppress us; and graciously hear us, that those evils, which the craft and subtilty of the devil or man worketh against us, be brought to nought; and by the providence of thy goodness they may be dispersed; that we thy servants, being hurt by no persecutions, may evermore give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Other prayers from this Book may be added, concluding with the Prayer of Saint Chrysostom and the Grace.

Posted in Religion, Religion - Anglican | Leave a comment

Why did Christ have to die?

Posted on February 12, 2012 by

In Church today I found myself asking “why did Jesus have to die?” This is an incredibly important question central to Christianity. I know I should have been listening to the sermon, but to be truthful I often do not find our rector’s sermons particularly interesting or thought provoking.

After some some internet searching I came up with the following answers.

Romans 5:12
12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (KJV)

God’s holiness and justice demand that sin and rebellion be punished. The only penalty or payment for sin is eternal death.

Romans 6:23
23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (KJV)

Our death is not sufficient to atone for sin because atonement requires a perfect, spotless sacrifice, offered in just the right way. Jesus, the one perfect God-man, came to offer the pure, complete and everlasting sacrifice to remove, atone, and make eternal payment for our sin.

1 Peter 1:18-19
18Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (KJV)

Then the question arises did Christ die for all peoples of this world? The internet is truly a rewarding place to search for answers. I found the Catholic Church teaches that Christ indeed died for all of us sinners. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

1260   “Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery.”62 Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.

Makes sense to me, “Christ died for our sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God…” Calvin

Posted in Religion, Religion - Anglican | Leave a comment