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The weather in the Richmond area has been wonderful, with cool nights and warm days, modest amounts of rainfall and not much wind.  I’ve been busy removing snake strawberries and wild violets out of my back yard with a hand tool (since all the chemicals which will get rid of both will also kill the abundant growth of clover which keeps the yard looking green!

In the last 24 hours, I have posted a Podcast Homily for Fifth Sunday After Easter (Rogation Sunday) and completed, uploaded, and linked Episode Forty-four in the Bible Study series on the AIC You Tube channel.   The Podcast homily includes discussion of more New Testament wisdom from James 1:22-27 and more from the Gospel of St. John (16:23-33), which contains Jesus’ promise not to speak in parables and His promise concerning whatever we ask of the Father in His Name.  Listen to the Podcast Homily

The Bible Study episode continues the discussion of the words Jesus’ uses to express concepts of time, on this occasion the Greek mikron, or “in a little while,” the meaning of which was very confusing to the Disciples, and hora, in this case translated as “time.”  Other topics includes two final Unique “Small” Details:  Jesus’ explanation to Pilate on the location of His Kingdom and His assignment of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the care of the “beloved Disciple” John; and the first of Five Unique Events:  the Visit of Nicodemus.  The video includes a picture of the House of Mary at Ephesus.  Watch Episode 44     Listen to the Podcast version

The Visit of Nicodemus is illustrated using the stained glass window by Franz Mayer of Munich at St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel, Richmond, VA, from the AIC Bookstore publication, Paintings on Light: the Stained Glass Windows of St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel.  The Mayer artist include such details as the dark blue sky with stars to suggest the evening visit described by St. John.  Jesus stands over a seated Nicodemus, whose robes are embellished with elaborate borders.  The raised right hand/arm suggests Jesus is granting a Blessing on the Pharisee who became a defender of Jesus and who brought aloe and scented herbs for His burial.

Episode Forty-four is the next-to-last episode on the Gospel of St. John before I resume production of the revised series, Revelation: an Idealist Interpretation.  The final four Unique Events are the Restoration of the Adulterous Woman; the Foot Washing of the Disciples; Jesus’ institution of the Sacrament of Confession/Penance; and His post-Resurrection meal with the remaining eleven.

The Podcast Homily includes my adaptation of a liturgical prayer of Thanksgiving from the tradition of the Maronite Catholic Church in Lebanon.   St. John Maron lived in the late 7th and early 8th Century.  The Church named in his honor uses an Eastern Rite liturgy but accepts the primacy of the Bishop of Rome in ecclesiastical matters.  It is a sign of our secular-dominated times that Christians no longer pray in this highly-respectful, reverential tone that grants to God sovereignty in all things:

GRANT US, O Lord God, that as we assemble here today, our minds released from worldly thoughts and our attention turned to Thee; we may stand in Thy presence with tranquility, offering ceaseless praise and uninterrupted thanksgiving and acknowledging the loving-kindness through which our lives are directed, ruled and protected and our souls saved; to Thee we offer praise and thanksgiving; now and ever and unto the ages of ages.  Amen.

As always, thanks for your interest in the Internet-based ministry of the Anglican Internet Church.

Yesterday I uploaded Episode Forty-three in the New Testament: Gospels and Epistles series on our You Tube channel, continuing the study of unique content in the Gospel of St. John.  The focus this time is on John’s report of Jesus’ encounter with the Sanhedrin Council and His withdrawal into the wilderness; the two announcements of the New Commandment and exposition of the meaning of Love (agapao); the lack of any commentary on the “agony in the Garden” reported in the Synoptics and the many topics discussed instead in Chapters 14-17; .  I start the discussion of Jesus’ use of words which involve concepts of Time, starting in this episode with “Hour” (from the Greek hora), using His commentary on being “lifted up” and references ot the “ruler of this world.”   Next time I will continue with other uses of words which can be translated as time with “in a little while” (Greek micron) and “time” (also from the Greek hora).   Watch the video on You Tube    Listen to the Podcast version

I am hopeful that I can finish discussion of St. John’s Gospel with Episode Forty-four.  If so, I will begin work on the next installment in the You Tube version of Revelation: An Idealist Interpretation.   I had produced it program as a live feed video on the UStream system a few years ago, but, owing to the extremely poor quality of the images I deleted the whole set when I stopped using UStream at the time the parish of St. Chrysostom closed down.   The new versions are based upon the old text, but include the much-broader catalogue of images which can be inserted into the iMovie format I now use.  I hope to get started during the month of May.  In order to stay within a 20-25 minute per episode format, there will have to be many more episodes with the iMovie format.

I also uploaded to the Podcast Homilies page at the AIC Web Site, the homily for Fourth Sunday After Easter, which includes a reading from the Epistle of James and more from the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 16.  For reasons which are not clear, the Gospel reading from John is the verses which come before the verses used for the Third Sunday After Easter.  I think treating them in order would have been better, but the BCP rules.    Listen to the Podcast Homily.

Thanks so much for supporting the AIC online ministry.  Pls consider sending links to our various Web pages (web site; You Tube channel; this Blog site; and the AIC Bookstore at amazon.com/Author/Ronald-E-Shibley.   100% of all book royalities are donated to the AIC.

My Podcast Homily for Third Sunday After Easter was uploaded yesterday.   Listen to the Podcast Homily.

By coincidence, the subject of Episodes 43 and 44 in the AIC Bible Study series on YouTube includes extensive discussion of Jesus use of words in reference to concepts concerning time, including hour, in a little while, and time, include the Third Sunday After Easter reading from the Gospel of St. John (John 16:11-22).  Owing to technical issues (there being only 24 hours in a day) I was not able to complete production and uploading of either episode.  Both should be available during the week of April 27th.

A day or so late I produced and uploaded a Podcast Homily for Second Sunday After Easter and also uploaded Episode 42 in the New Testament: Gospels and Epistles series.  Second Sunday After Easter is popularly known as Good Shepherd Sunday, since both readings feature the concept of Jesus as our Shepherd.  Listen to the Podcast Homily

In my former parish I mounted the Greek Orthodox icon of Christ the Good Shepherd in the Narthex.   In Greek the name is O Poimen, O Kalos.  At the parish at St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel, Richmond, Va, we had a stained glass window depicting Christ the Good Shepherd surrounded by lambs, with a lamb over His shoulder.  At right is the central detail of the window.  This and other stained glass windows at the Chapel are pictured in the AIC Bookstore publication, Paintings on Light: the Stained Glass Windows of St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel, which is available from my Author Central page at Amazon:  https://www.Amazon.com/Author/Ronald-E-Shibley.

In the research for the Bible Study series, I found a very fine 19th Century stained glass depiction of Jesus, which is mounted at an Anglican Church in Nova Scotia, Canada.  The original church was built in 1749.  The vendor did not identify the artist.

The Bible Study series continues with, as noted, the uploading of Episode 42, which continues my discussion of the Gospel of St. John with John’s unique treatment of Peter, Judas, Nicodemus and Mary Madgalene.

I’m wrapping up the final two episodes on St. John and will then turn to completing the You Tube video version of my verse-by-verse discussion of Revelation.

Watch Episode 42

Thanks so much for your support and interest.  This internet ministry is entirely supported by public contributions and book sales.  100% of the royalty for all books is contributed to the AIC checking account.

Christ is risen from the grave!
Response:  Indeed, He has risen from the grave!

These are the opening words spoken by a Deacon in the Eastern celebration of Easter, often called the Feast of Feasts, being the most important day on the Church Calendar.  For this occasion I have published a 13-minute Podcast homily on the AIC Web Site, in which I elaborate on the history of the Eastern celebration of Easter at Antioch, the meaning of Ranson and Propitiation, and, in modern life, the choice facing all Christians of being either Esau or Jacob.   Listen to the Podcast Homily.

In the Homily I refer to one of the most remarkable icons of the Eastern Church tradition, The Harrowing of Hades.  In this single icon are many theological messages of great importance to an understanding of traditional Christian teaching.  Since the Homily is sound-only, I have included for this Blog.

Jesus stands, surrounded by the blue aura, signifying the Glory of the Lord, with the golden disk behind His head in the traditional Eastern Church manner including the Greek equivalent letters for I AM  (Exodus 3:14, 15).  He stands upon the coffin lids symbolic of the gates of Hades, which by His Resurrection He has broken open.  With His right hand (left side of the icon) He lifts Adam, dressed in white, from Sheol (the Pit).  With His left hand (right side of the icon), He lifts Eve, dressed in Red.

In the Pit beneath the destroyed gates of Hades are the keys which are referred to in Revelation:  I hold the keys to Hades and Death.   Also in the Pit is a bound figure who is not raised from the dead, symbolic of those unrighteous who will not enjoy everlasting life in the Kingdom of the Father.

The figure at the left background (to the right of Jesus Christ) is John the Baptist, called the Last Prophet of the Old Testament, symbolizing the transition from the Old Testament to the New.

At my former parish of St. John Chrysostom, I always hung this icon on the front of the pulpit throughout Easter season, where the people could easily see it.  The same icon was held aloft in the Eastern Morning processional around the outside of St. Joseph’s Villa Chapel, Richmond, VA.  The full text of the Easter Morning service, based on a Syrian Orthodox Church model, is available in paperback and Kindle versions in the AIC Bookstore publication. Occasional Services for Anglican Worship at my author page at Amazon.com.   (www.Amazon.com/author/ronald-e-shibley).

My podcast homily for Fourth Sunday in Lent, focused on Galatians 4:21 to 5:1 and John 6:1-14, the Feeding of the 5,000 was uploaded to the AIC Podbean site and linked from the Podcast Homily page at the AIC Web Site.   Listen to Fourth Sunday in Lent

With the coming of a hint of Spring and my wife’s continuing recovery from her accident, I took down the temporary handicapped ramp I built in early January.  This presented the opportunity to do some landscape work, which I will continue doing this morning (at least until the predicted rainfall begins).  Episode 41 and part of Episode 42 in the New Testament series is complete but they will not be uploaded until some time this coming week.   I need to do so further editing of the scripts and, possibly, production of one more slide for Episode 41.

Today’s three illustrations are part of those used for the Bible Study series which touched upon the Feeding of the 5,000.   I cropped the center detail of a larger mosaic of Christ flanked by a Byzantine Emperor and Empress.  The Hagia Sophia is a true treasure house of Christian art from the early Church.  Later converted into a mosque and even later into a museum, the Moslems attempted to destroy many of the images so that most of what is left was too far off the ground for the vandals to reach them and pray them off or paint over them.

The second illustration is a 5th Century fresco of Andrew at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls at Rome.  Andrew was one of two disciples named in St. John’s account, each of whom had doubts about how Jesus could feed so many with so little.

The other disciple who was a skeptic was Philip.  He is represented in this blog post by a late 19th Century opaque watercolor over gray wove paper by the French artist, James Tissot, and which is part of the life of Christ series by Tissot at the Brooklyn Museum, which placed the works in the public domain.  Philip could not see how two hundred denari worth of bread could give even a little to over 5,000 people.   We should remember that in the 1st Century the counts of such crowds did not include women or children, therefore the number present was quite likely many more than 5,000.

I present the Feeding of the 5,000 in the context of the unique material found only in St. John’s version of the event and also the lirugical parallel between how Jesus prepared, presented and distributed the bread and fish to the traditional service of Holy Eucharist (from the Greek, meaning a thanksgiving).

Blessings and best wishes to all those who have followed and supported the Internet ministry of the Anglican Internet Church. I hope you will attend your local church/parish this Sunday for the Fourth Sunday in the penitential season of Lent.

Glory be to God for all things!  Amen!

Another week and another snow storm here in Richmond, leaving behind about 2 inches of sleet, snow and ice glaze on the ground.  I fervently hope this is the last one for the season!  I’ve got my garden suppliers catalogs on my desk and some plant material already ordered from BrentandBeckysBulbs in Gloucester County, VA.

Just this week I had a client and his wife in for a review meeting and the topics of staying busy and having the time and the combination of physical-mental-technology to make it possible to continue producing videos, books and podcasts.  As my wife puts it, it keep me out of trouble.

This week I completed Episode 40 in the New Testament: Gospels and Epistles series.  I finish up the discussion of the theme of Light vs Darkness and take up several more Unique Themes in St. John’s Gospel:  Good vs. Evil, True vs. False, Life vs. Death, and Heaven vs. Earth.  After that is Part 1 (of how many I won’t know I’m finished with the topics) in a discussion of Unique Details which St. John provides, beginning with 4 topics:  Jesus’ Emotions; Numerology; Use of “Jews” and Prophecy.  Once again this week I have used a picture from the Rohan Hours volume I just acquired for the AIC Library, plus a half dozen other works from both the Eastern and Western Church traditions.   Episode 41 will be focused on two Unique Details: the Relationship Between Father and Son and St. John’s unique references to Places and People, beginning with Samaria and Cana.  Watch Episode 40

I also published a Podcast Homily for Third Sunday in Lent.  I was unable to find a good illlustration of the content of the Gospel reading from St. Luke on Jesus’ expelling of the evil spirit from the mute man.  If you know of something, please let me know so I can put it in the library of illustrations for use next year.  I did use a 12th Century mosaic in the Byzantine style at the Cathedral in Palermo, Sicily, depicting Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem riding the colt side-saddle in the Eastern and kingly manner.

I finished production a limited number of 2-CD sets with all twelve of the movies for Reflections on the Twelve Days of Christmas.  You can watch these on You Tube, but if you’d like your own set, pls send a check for $26.00, which includes shipping and handling via USPS Priority Mail.  Make checks payable to Anglican Internet Church and send them to 7162 Soft Wind Lane, Mechanicsville, VA.  Later I plan to set these up on our web site so that people can use PayPal to place orders (for this collection, for the new Paintings on Light video, and the Great “O” Antiphons series.