Friends in Christ,
We do not hear the term ' Septuagesima Sunday being used that often in the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches, it has been replaced by the 5th Sunday in Ordinary time, which, to be quite honest does not mean a great deal to me. The word Septuagesima means 70th, and it recalls the seventy years captivity in Babylon of the Jewish people, which is a figure of the bondage of sin from which we were set free by the merits of the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Very worthwhile reflecting on this, I think. I am glad that in the Traditional Anglican Communion of which I am a member, we still obverve this Sunday, the way it ought to be observed. May we this evening pray that we, who are justly afflicted for our sins, may be mercifully delivered from them for the Glory of the Name of God.
In a world, which is so obsessed by sport and focus so much on the capabilities and strenghts of our sports people, what a pity it is that we cannot run this race as decicated sportspeople, putting everything into it what we can. What a different world we would live in. There would be so many Saints. Of course a wonderful exemple of how we are to run this race is given to us by the Saints, not only the New Testament ones, but also the Old Testament ones, which I have in fact been studying this evening as part of my postulant's Course. They had faith, but they never saw Jesus on earth, but they are still united with the New Testament Saints as they are rejoying around the throne of God. We must detach ourselves from earthly goods and especially sin, which clings so closely to us. Do fear disease, don’t fear affliction, but fear sin.
May God bless us and keep us and we run this race and may we finally reach our goal, victory.Ed Bakker
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