Propers: The first Sunday in Advent.

The Collect

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

1. Zion's daughter, O rejoice!
Shout aloud, Jerusalem!
Lo, thy King doth come to thee,
Yea, He comes, the Prince of Peace!
Zion's daughter, O rejoice!
Shout aloud, Jerusalem!

2. Hail, hosanna, David's Son,
Be Thou to Thy people blest!
Thine eternal kingdom come!
Praise be sung to Thee on high!
Hail, hosanna, David's Son,
Be Thou to Thy people blest!

3. Hail, hosanna, David's Son,
Be Thou welcome, gentle King!
Firmly stands Thy throne of peace,
Thou, the Father's only Son!
Hail, hosanna, David's Son,
Be Thou to Thy people blest!

The Epistle
Romans xiii. 8.

OWE no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

The Gospel
St. Matthew xxi. 1.

WHEN they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name 'of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

In His Service: Chapter 6 - Power and Service

The sixth chapter in RJ Rushdoony's book "In His Service" is about the common quest for power.

Not only will you find the quest for power within the family: husbands over wives, wives over husbands, siblings over siblings, children over parents, ... you find this quest for power in the church and in the state. Churches want power over the people, family, and also God. Their decisions and doctrines and their form of the sacraments and workings of the Holy Spirit are confined by this quest for power. The state has rallied to be the cradle to grave savior through fear-mongering in their quest for power. But power comes from the LORD. If you quest power then you must search kingdom of God.

Rev 18:1	And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
Rev 19:1	And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

The spirit of God says to owe no man anything. NO DEBT! Yet the family, church and state make it a faith to be in great debt. There is no more Gold standard, no just weights and measures. The greater the debt the more faith. This is not power. This is self-destruction. This was not so in a free society. Debt enslaves.

Children at one time were taught just weights and measures and how to save. Here is an example:

Rose's new arithmetic: An explanatory and practical arithmetic, adapted to ...
By John Rose

It is interesting that a gold standard monetary system restrains power because gold is not inflationary. Once you saved a dollar you saved a dollar. Now you save a dollar and you save a fraction of a dollar because inflation eats it away.

The common humanistic quest for power can be by might and it can also be by legalized (and illegal) larceny. Rushdoony reminds us that Christians are summoned away from this kind of quest. The love of God means faithfulness in God's power, godly power, and obedience to His law-word. "By their faith ye shall know them" Matthew 7:20

In His Service: Chapter 5 - Humanism as It Affects the Family

righteousness = justice
justice = righteousness

In this fifth Chapter of RJ Rushdoony's "In His Service" he continues to explain how Humanism destroys God's "Division of Labour" especially in regards to the family. What is "Division of Labour"?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Division of labour or specialization is the specialization of cooperative labour in specific, circumscribed tasks and roles, intended to increase the productivity of labour. Historically the growth of a more and more complex division of labour is closely associated with the growth of total output and trade, the rise of capitalism, and of the complexity of industrialization processes.

So, in other words, we don't call a baker when our cow needs a c-section. Likewise we should not call on the state to have power and control over our children, education, property, inheritance, welfare or marriage. These responsibilities, labours, belong to the family.

Scripture divides the labour among three major institutions: family, church, and state. Family is God's basic institution and it is given the responsibility to have power and control over our children, education, property, inheritance, welfare and marriage. Yet, Humanism strives and has largely succeeded in tranfering these powers and controls over to the state. The division of labour is slowly being distroyed and with it a free and godly society. Without a free and godly society there is no justice, no righteousness.

In order to divide the labour. The institution of the family must be understood and established. Marriage must be understood and established. Marriage is a scarament of the family. Rushdoony points out the scripture that ordains man and woman by marriage as one, the woman from the man and the man from the woman. The rise in man's "rights"over women , as in the 18th century, and woman's "rights" over men, as in the 19th and 20th centuries, are ungodly and irresponsible because they "seek power apart from God and over eachother" . He explains the convenantal or the "giveness" of marriage as being the foundation of a godly family and the romantic, pragmatic, mercenary or the "free choice" of marriage as the foundation of a humanistic family.

The godly family works together to establish God's righteousness, justice, in the labour it has been ordained to do:
rearing children
owning family property (a trust from the Lord)
building inheritances (reserving assets for a godly seed to continue the establishment of God's kingdom on earth)
education
welfare

The godly family is the vehicle for the driving force of God's kingdom on earth, the regeneration of the entire creation.

In His Service: Chapter 4 The Battle for Righteousness

The Application of Biblical Law to Secular Society

In R.J. Rushdoony's fourth chapter of In His Service he lists eight points on God's law as it relates to the renewal of all things. Before we look at the eight points a presupposition must be established. The law of God is the standard, the source and the law of justice. Even secular societies know this. Therefore, in order to have justice God's law must be applied to society. Also, in order to live a righteous life God's law must be applied to our daily life. It is important to know that the very law that is to be applied also forbids application by coercion; it is by regeneration, renewal.

Rushdoony lists eight applications of God's law that is done through regeneration unto regeneration. Renewal begets renewal.... First, the government must be under God. It is not under the state and not under the church. It is not under man. Man has been corrupted by the fall and therefore can only corrupt justice. The state and the church have very limited powers under God's law. Power and authority are God's. Government must be under God.

Second, God's law works through economics, the tithe. The tithes should be encouraged and humanistic taxes abolished. (allocation list) Tithes are more efficient than unjust state allocations, subsidies and wealth transfer schemes. Rushdoony points out the economic limits placed on the church and the state; "the sanctuary receives one percent of a man's increase" and "the civil government receives only a half a shekel a year from all males twenty and over." He also goes into further details. This makes the family the basic institution in Scripture.

The family, this is the third point. Treason is an act against the family rather than the state. Everything Rushdoony writes has something in it that stresses how important the family is to God. The laws protect the family. If the courts do not protect the family they are unjust.

The next five points are more straight forward but no less important. Fourth, courts must be just. Fifth, the penalty of restitution must be restored. There is no forgiveness without restitution. Resoration + must be made of the destruction made by sin. Remember, the goal of God's law is the renewal of all things to "very good". Restitution is necessary to bring about holiness. For example:

• To be made for injury to life, limb, or property
  Exodus 21:30-36; Leviticus 24:18
• To be made for theft
  Exodus 22:1-4; Proverbs 6:30,31; Ezekiel 33:15
• To be made for dishonesty
  Leviticus 6:2-5; Numbers 5:7; Job 20:18; Ezekiel 33:15; Luke 19:8

Sixth, the land must have it's Sabbaths. The renewal of all things also includes the earth. Seventh, Our duty is to work for righteousness sake. Riches are good and yet they are not our goal. Be content and not greedy. The LORD gives and takes according to His great plan in the regeneration of the entire creation. Eight, God's law must be enforced in us and through us.

Rushdoony reminds us again that the goal of God's law is the regeneration of all things, God's Kingdom. It is a physical and spiritual reality growing in total holiness unto the LORD. He has made his people co-heirs with Christ.

In His Service: Chapter 3 The Battle for a Generation: Focus on Education

In this third chapter Rushdoony makes clear that public education makes morality a subjective concern rather than an objective standard. This has deadly consequences. He says that there are two areas of society that clearly reveal the religion of the people, education and law.

When education makes morality a subjective concern then the law is also subjective. This means that authority, creeds and traditional wisdom is undermined. "Head religion" is replaced with "heart religion". Anselm's "I believe, in order that I may understand." (the belief of sanctifying renewal through the ages) has been replaced with, "I experience, in order that I believe." and "I test, in order that I may understand." Both deny authority, tradition and creeds. Both deny the authority of our Creator. Instead man assumes that he can be all knowing.

Rushdoony also points out something very interesting: "Instead of theology being the queen of sciences, it was no longer even a science." God's law word no longer commands the world and life according to modern society. Man is trying to be god. He is turning his back on the Source of all knowledge and life and instead trying to produce a man made sphere of chaotic and deadly intelligence and knowledge. Humanistic education has become this quest. A quest to save society without God.

Why is this quest deadly? Because it makes morality a subjective concern rather than an objective standard. It educates and teaches skills to unregenerate people. Immoral people with no objective standard increases lawlessness' power. Perversity is not checked. Without being conformed to Jesus, the Lord of Glory, but rather to depraved man society devolves. Immoral behavior becomes the right of any man. Man depersonalizes the world in order to have his right to sin. The world suffers.

Christian education, on the other hand, personalizes and upgrades man to the image of God. Being the children of light requires bring up children "in the nurture and the admonition of the LORD" not the image and deadly wisdom of humanists. We will be held accountable because "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our LORD, and of His Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." Rev. 11:15

In His Service: Chapter 2 The Unseen Enemy: Secular Humanism

In this second chapter Rushdoony points out the real enemy is secular humanism and, in Segerberg's words, man's "Modern Verification of His Wisdom and How It Can Help You" is the teaching of the day. Furthermore, even though "humanist can at times believe in God" they don't see Jesus as the Son of God but as a resource for man. This means that each man looks to himself for sovereignty in building society: determining each for himself what is good and evil. It is no wonder that there are so many conflicts and buildings full of laws and regulations. This is the true unseen enemy of liberty. Rushdoony makes four observations of secular humanism:

1. To take any word from God on faith is held to be irrational and bad religion.
2. It premises that it is possible that man's science, given enough time, will overcome all social and physical problems including death.
3. It follows that disobedience to God is the beginning of wisdom.
4. Every man will be his own source of law and morality instead of God's sovereignty.

These give us a clear understanding of salvation and what is necessary action in order to fight this unseen enemy. It is NOT the coercion of man to live by God's law word. It is regeneration. It is the opposite of the four observation Rushdoony laid out in this chapter:

1. Take every word of God on faith and apply it to our lives. Make it our religion.
2. Only Jesus, the Son of God and our atonement, has, is and will overcome all social and physical problems including death.
3. Obedience to God is the beginning of wisdom.
4. See Jesus as the Son of God, our atonement, Lord and Sovereign. "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matt 4:4

Secular Humanism is suicidal. We are warned:
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Rev 18:4

William Federer highlights the Roman Empire society before it's fall and it doesn't seem too different from our own:







Rushdoony ends this chapter with the great commission. The LORD requires us to establish His law word in our lives as far as our authority reaches. This means individually spiritually, physically and with our children, in our homes, jobs, businesses and with those under our command, not by coercion but by application on faith. If this is not done then death is our society's end.

In His Service: Chapter 1 The Place of Biblical Law in Society

Another Rushdoony book has been released. He continues to educate and honor our triune God years after his passing. Chapter one of "In His Service" speaks to the chaos of the day and gives an easy solution, if only we would heed and do. He points out how God, through His tax (tithe) laws, severely limit the power of the ecclesiastical and civil governments. Who then has the responsibility to action?

"This means that the central area of action is within the covenant family and its members. The family is the cradle of life, man's first church, school, government, vocation. God's law does not allow us to shift our duties onto the state or to the church."

It cannot be argued that society has needs and problems. That need is to be dealt with. "Social financing is a necessity." But Rushdoony points out that most of those duties do not belong to a centralized power that is easily corrupted but to a decentralized covenant people . They are to provide for it. Furthermore, Rushdoony warns: "Wherever the Christian community abandons its necessary task of government and help, other forces take it over.... The purpose of the church's service is not an impressive musical or liturgical treat (even though they have their place*) but to provide marching orders to the soldiers of Christ."

*emphasis is my own

Go here http://www.chalcedon.edu/papers/Taxation.pdf to learn about what the Bible says about taxation and welfare. Here is a clip:

Justice (civil government):
The civil government is biblically charged with administering justice, not health, education or charitable work (Rom. 13:1-7). A Scriptural civil government is supported solely by a half-shekel poll tax that all citizens pay (the Bible says 20 years old males) as a strictly flat tax (Ex. 30:1-16), which keeps the size of civil government small and gives all citizens an equal stake in societal justice.
Health, education & welfare:
According to the Bible, health care, education, poverty relief and charitable work are personal concerns, not institutional concerns, and are to be administered by individuals, not by the state, through the various tithes. The 10% per year social tithe of Lev. 27:30-33 and Num. 18:20-24 is to be individually directed to education and health in the community, and the prorated 3.3% per year poor tithe of Deut. 14:28-29 is to be given directly to the poor without middlemen. When churches and Christians fail to pay God’s tithes and ensure their proper use toward fulfilling society’s needs, the state takes over with disastrous consequences. Prior to state involvement in health, education and welfare, churches built and ran hospitals (Christian ethics were upheld and doctors were respected as Christ’s servants), Christian families and communities founded schools and universities and educated their own children (literacy in America was vastly more extensive), and Christian communities met the needs of the sick and poor.
The poor tithe and eradication of poverty:
The modern state, by waging a secular “war on poverty” while violating God’s laws, has only increased poverty, not reduced it. Deut. 15:4 points out that if God’s laws are obeyed, “there shall be no more poor among you.” Obeying God’s Law of the poor tithe brings God’s blessing upon the people and their productivity (Deut. 14:28-29; 16:12-15). The Bible calls neglect of the poor tithe grinding the faces of the poor (Isa. 3:15). (When Jesus said in Matt. 26:11, “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me with you,” He was telling the disciples that in their lifetime they would not always have personal face-to-face contact with Him but they would encounter the poor. Christ here was indicting Israel’s violation of the poor tithe, quoting from Deut. 15:11 that “there shall always be poor people in the land” because those who should pay the poor tithe were “hardhearted and tightfisted” [Deut. 15:7].) Jesus told the rich young ruler in Mark 10:19ff he had failed to keep this law, and called on him to pay restitution to those he had covertly robbed through disobedience (similar to the four-fold restitution that repentant tax collector Zacchaeus, in obedience to God’s Law, announced he would pay to those he had defrauded, an action prompting salvation coming upon his house). The young ruler did not covet: verse 19’s unique term defraud not (Greek: apostereseis) is used in Deut. 24:14, Mal. 3:5 and Ex. 21:10 in regard to depriving or withholding from the needy. The amount he had withheld from the poor over the years, after God’s penalties were compounded, amounted to all he had (as Christ’s instruction to him makes clear), so to obey God’s Law and make restitution for his moral failure, he had to sell it all and return the lump sum to the poor (Mark 10:21). As with the woman at the well (John 4:18), Jesus pierced the ruler’s lawlessness. Because God is not a respecter of persons, Jesus focused on a specific sin (sin = transgression of God’s Law; 1 John 3:4) that required repentance. When the ruler persisted in transgressing God’s Law, he continued grinding the faces of the poor. Shortly thereafter we meet a likely victim of such grinding, the poor widow (Mark 12:43ff) for whom two mites amounted to “all she had.” Two centuries earlier her need could have been satisfied because Israel had, despite economically difficult times, maintained on hand the poor tithe offerings for such charitable relief (2 Macc. 3:10 – 600 talents of silver & gold).

Collect for Our Leaders and Government

Almighty and everlasting God, Who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire. Most heartily we commend this nation to thy merciful care, that being guided by thy Providence, we may dwell secure in thy peace. Grant to all in authority, wisdom and strength to know and do thy will, and strike down those who lead us astray. Make them ever mindful of their duty and calling to serve thy people in thy fear; for thou, O Lord, are no buttercup; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.


Written by Allison Halliday