God of Life
6th Sunday after Epiphany Today's readings: Deut. 30:15-20 ; 1 Cor. 3:1-9 ; Matt. 5:21-37 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son & the Holy Spirit. Amen. This morning Jesus continues to preach from the Mount, continuing where he began in chapter 5 with the beatitudes. So far we have heard ‘Blessed are the poor, those who mourn, the meek, hungry, thirsty, merciful, pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted for Christ’s sake
Salt and Light
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany Today's readings: Isaiah 58:1-12 ; 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 ; Matthew 5:13-20 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son & the Holy Spirit. Amen. Last week's gospel reading is what we call the Beatitudes from Matthew’s gospel, where Jesus proclaims: 'Blessed are the poor, those who mourn, the meek, hungry, thirsty, merciful, pure in heart, and the peacemakers. Blessed are those who are persecuted for Christ’s sake.' Blesse
Fishing for People
3rd Sunday in Epiphany, Jan. 26th 2020 Readings for the day: Isaiah 9:1-4 ; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 ; Matthew 4:12-23 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near!’ we hear Jesus proclaim this morning, just as we’ve heard John the Baptist proclaim numerous times already. Which is why I prefer the alternate translation of this verse as Jesus saying ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand!’
Come and See - Abide With Me
2nd Sunday after Epiphany *When looking at the original Greek, I noticed a word that was repeated over and over again in the Gospel reading of the day – μενω. This can be translated as “remain, stay, abide, live, dwell” and the NRSV picks a different word almost every time it appears here.. but I have taken the liberty of translating it consistently throughout this passage as abide . John 1:29-42 The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Her
This is my child, the Beloved
Baptism of Our Lord Sunday Readings: Isaiah 42:1-9 & Matthew 3:13-17 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. Then God spoke all things into being and saw that it was good (Gen. 1). By the Word of God all things came to be and it was goo
Arise, your light has come!
Epiphany Sunday Today's readings: Isaiah 60:1-6 ; Psalm 72 ; Ephesians 3:1-12 ; Matthew 2:1-12 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Welcome to the year 2020! I’m afraid to say we’re not off to the best start.. The year 2020, like the last few years, is a time of connection. Honestly, it’s almost impossible to be disconnected or unaware of the tragic things happening in our own backyards AND across the globe. Wh
Merry Christmas, Christ has come!
Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7 and Luke 2:1-20 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Hallelujah, Christ has come! Jesus Christ was born this night over 2 millennia ago. Children are born everyday, what makes this birth so special, so monumental that we still throw such an elaborate birthday party each year?! Well, two things: the very fact that GOD becomes flesh and, unlike Sally down the street who just had a baby boy, g
The Love of God Incarnate
Today is the 4th Sunday of Advent and we are days away from the birth of Christ. The last three weeks we have lit the candles of hope, peace, and joy on the advent wreath. Today we light the candle of love . The readings of the day are: Isaiah 7:10-16 ; Psalm 80; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25 (I recommend at least reading Matthew.. they are linked to the text, just click on them) Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prepare the Way of the Lord
Sermon from Dec.8th, second Sunday in Advent: PEACE Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10 ; Psalm 72 ; Romans 15:4-13 ; Matthew 3:1-12 It would be helpful in understanding the sermon to read the Isaiah & Matthew texts.. I have linked the texts with Bible Gateway, so just click on them to read :) ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord!’ Today John the Baptist burst onto the scene and what a wild and obnoxious one he is! Who is this man of the wilderness who wears weird things and eats we
The Advent of Christ: Judgment & Promise
Sermon from Sunday, Dec. 1st Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44 Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Welcome to Advent. Welcome to the beginning of a new church year. Our readings certainly don’t make it feel like the beginning, though do they? Rather they speak of the END, the second coming of Christ. But, aren’t we supposed to be anticipating the first coming of Christ?! “8
