Sermons
“Ascending Mount Advent”
Isa 2:1-5 • Ps 122 • Matt 24:29-44
The scriptural image of the mountain conveys the nature of Advent as an upward pilgrimage. We are called to come to the God who comes to us. This is a joyous and toilsome journey by which we prepare ourselves for Christ's coming.
“Christ the King!”
Col 1:15-20
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
“The Patient Endurance of the Saints”
Luke 21:5-19
Three things are connected in the “eschatology vision” of Jesus: Human longing (for another world), God’s judgment (making all things right), and the patient endurance of the saints. The wellspring of life that gives us unspeakable joy is the same life that sustains us in all kinds of suffering; and it's the same self-sacrificing love of Christ. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7). For “the joy that was set before him [Jesus] endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2). We are also called to patient endurance that God would reveal himself to a wanting world.
“The Faith of Zacchaeus”
Luke 19:1-10
Jesus tells Zaccheaus, “I must stay at your house today.” This a sign of salvation. It reminds us of Revelation 3:20, where Jesus says, “If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in … to eat with you, and you with me" (Rev 3:20). Jesus lodges and dines with the poor and the wealthy, all those with sincere faith. There is fellowship and communion. This, no doubt, would have been a deeply affecting moment for Zacchaeus, who was a wealthy, lonely, and despised person. He longs for the same connection with God as the contrasting Rich Young Ruler—but he is the one who opens the door of faith and his heart overflows with generosity.
“For All the Saints”
Revelation 7
All Saints’ Day comes near the end of our ordinary time. It anticipates “Christ the King” Sunday, which is the culmination of the story of God, “Christ reconciling all things to himself by the blood of his cross” (Col 1:20). We currently live in the middle of this story. In Revelation, John provides an image of the victorious church, our brothers and sisters sheltered by the presence of God, which is His glory reflected to the world by the church.
“For All the Saints Who From their Labors Rest”, verse 3:
O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
“Crying Out to God”
Jer 14:1-10, 19-22; Ps 84; Luke 18:9-14
Our readings present us with an array of distinct prayerful cries. The tax collector in Luke 18 cries for mercy, Jeremiah for the people of Judah, and the psalmist for the Lord's house. Where do you find yourself? Let us learn from these men and join them in coming with confidence and reverence before the throne of grace of Jesus Christ, through whom our own little prayers can become part of God's grand story of redemption.
“Training in Righteousness”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
“Complaining and Waiting by Faith”
Hab 1:1-13, 2:1-4
Faith consists in believing through God's Word that what we cannot see is more real than what we can see. Today's lessons flesh out different aspects of what it means to live by faith. Complaining and waiting are two frustrating but vital components of this process which shift our focus from the passing chaos around us to Christ's promised kingdom.
“Seeing Lazarus”
Luke 16:19-31
The rich man in Luke's Gospel ignored Lazarus during his life and only became mindful of him when it was too late. Jesus commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Do we see the people around us who are in need and suffering? Who is your Lazarus?
“The Parable of the Shrewd Manager”
Luke 16:1-13
The life of discipleship is responding to the invitation of Jesus. It is a willingness to live in way that says no to our corrupted heart seeking self-importance and self-preservation. There is a line in Psalm 36 that says “sin whispers in the depths of the heart.” The self-deception that we all face is thinking that focusing on the self will make the self more happy. But this leads us away from discipleship and away from the joy of Christ. Rather, it is humility and faith that actually get us there. The main difference between disciples and the Pharisees was a willingness to respond to the invitation of Jesus, trusting his wisdom above their own. The Pharisees guard their earthly attachments and call it righteous. They suffer the same idolatry that they themselves teach against.
“Hannah More on the Virtue of Moderation”
Luke 14:25-33
Hannah More shows us how to evangelize with integrity and charity. Holding fast to the truth and exercising wisdom in how we communicate it are both essential for our witness to the world, as reflected in More's life and writings.
Check out Hannah More’s essay, “On the Conduct of Christians in their Intercourse with the Irreligious."
“The Narrow Door”
Luke 13:22-30
“Light has come into the world.” Christ, the light of the world, sees us as we truly are. His gaze penetrates all lies and self deceit, seeing us as we truly are. His penetrating gaze is filled with love. He is light, revealing our false understanding of ourselves and of others. To walk through this door is to confess the truth, which releases us from the attachments we have made to this world, finding salvation in the light of Christ.
“Not Peace, but Division”
Luke 12:49-56
Jesus asks the rhetorical question: “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” On the surface, a difficult passage to understand, especially when that we see that he is called prince of peace in Isaiah 9 and when the angels announce Jesus’ birth to the shepherds saying, “peace and good will toward men.”
“Discipleship as Pilgrimage”
Luke 12:32-40
The Christian life (discipleship) is a pilgrim existence. While we don’t identify with this world as it currently is, we identify with what it will one day become by God’s power. Discipleship is securing our primary attachments to God’s kingdom, which is the way life was meant to be lived. The person who looks to another world (God’s kingdom) is actually living for this world.
“The Lawyer and the Parable of the Good Samaritan”
Luke 10:25-37
By entering this story, the lawyer is freed from a world dominated by self-justifying logic. The parable confronts his pride and invites him to freely respond to the mercy of God standing before him. By the instrument of the parable, the lawyer is able to move from pride to humility.
“Following Jesus”
Luke 9:51-62
Jesus challenges us to follow him with radical hospitality and wholehearted commitment to him and his kingdom.
“Who do you say that I am?”
Luke 9:18-24
Peter’s declaration of faith invites us into bolder, more courageous faith and intimacy with Jesus, the Christ–with an understanding that we, like Peter, will also at times misunderstand or get things wrong or not quite be able to fully grasp something. And with an understanding that faith is not a static thing, but a growing thing–something that develops and enlarges and deepens throughout one’s life (as it did for Peter).
“Worship the Triune God”
John 14:8-17
Trinity Sunday is the culmination of the story the Church embarks on each year from Advent to Pentecost. In Advent, we awaited God’s redemption with hope as Gabriel announced to Mary she would give birth to a Son. At Christmas, we celebrated the Nativity of Jesus. In Epiphany, we witnessed God’s revelation of himself to the world. In Lent, we repented of our sins in preparation for the death of our Lord. In Holy Week, we received the command to love one another and watched our Lord betrayed, arrested, tried, condemned, beaten, crucified, and buried. In Easter, we entered into the joy and celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and his victory over death. At the Ascension, we saw Jesus taken up into heaven to sit in glory at the right hand of the Father. And at Pentecost, we received the Holy Spirit for comfort in our affliction and confidence in our mission. We respond in worship.