2024
Short Sermons
April 14, 2024 CHRIST AMONG US
The New Testament records ten different resurrection appearances of Jesus. Today we are going to look at one of the most captivating, a story only found in the gospel of Luke chapter 24. Luke is famous for the way he uses the role of walking and traveling to share the fundamental truths of the Gospel of Jesus. Much of Luke’s Gospel from chapter nine onwards centers around Jesus’ walking towards Jerusalem.
In the world we live in today, we can identify a lot with those disciples of Jesus after His resurrection. It is interesting how the lectionary texts seem to always manage to address current issues? Fear: If there was a common theme between all the doors that we hide behind (from both the past and the present), then it seems that it would have to be fear. Is our fear creating distance between who we are and who God wants us to be? In our life isolation and fear create distance.
This Sunday's Gospel lesson St. Luke 24: 36-48, is about Jesus appearing to the fearful disciples and saying to them Peace be with you! After the death of Jesus Christ, the life story of the disciples was filled with fear. Luke writes about their confusion, doubt, and uncertainty. In chapter 24 the first part is all about disappointment and disillusionment. Have you ever noticed that some of the saddest words in the English language begin with the letter D? For example, disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, despair, and death. View the entire short sermon.
The New Testament records ten different resurrection appearances of Jesus. Today we are going to look at one of the most captivating, a story only found in the gospel of Luke chapter 24. Luke is famous for the way he uses the role of walking and traveling to share the fundamental truths of the Gospel of Jesus. Much of Luke’s Gospel from chapter nine onwards centers around Jesus’ walking towards Jerusalem.
In the world we live in today, we can identify a lot with those disciples of Jesus after His resurrection. It is interesting how the lectionary texts seem to always manage to address current issues? Fear: If there was a common theme between all the doors that we hide behind (from both the past and the present), then it seems that it would have to be fear. Is our fear creating distance between who we are and who God wants us to be? In our life isolation and fear create distance.
This Sunday's Gospel lesson St. Luke 24: 36-48, is about Jesus appearing to the fearful disciples and saying to them Peace be with you! After the death of Jesus Christ, the life story of the disciples was filled with fear. Luke writes about their confusion, doubt, and uncertainty. In chapter 24 the first part is all about disappointment and disillusionment. Have you ever noticed that some of the saddest words in the English language begin with the letter D? For example, disappointment, doubt, disillusionment, defeat, despair, and death. View the entire short sermon.
April 7, 2024 MARKS OF FAITH
The Holy Gospel appointed for this Sunday St. John 20: 19-31, announces how our Lord Jesus Christ conferred huge powers upon his followers when he appeared to them as the Risen Christ. This story places at our disposal the same kind of Easter power.
The appearance of Jesus appears to be substantiated by the other Gospel account in Luke. The disciples were quite obviously in a state of shock. They were completely drenched with fear because of what might happen to them in the light of the disappearance of Jesus from the tomb. They are locked in the Upper Room as a defense against anyone who might be seeking them out.
The first words Jesus uttered to his assembled and frightened disciples the first time He saw them after the resurrection was “PEACE BE WITH YOU!” Jesus speaks these words to the disciples, once without Thomas and once when Thomas was present.
What is the message of Easter for you this year? I believe God has a new message for us this morning. For those of you who live constantly in fear: fear of failure, fear of death, fear of so many things, etc., etc. and the list goes on. Christ is risen and He brings PEACE!
Sometimes we do not know how to convey the news to someone, to the group of fearful disciples the risen Lord Jesus comes to them to take away the fear and tells them “Peace be unto you”. View the entire short sermon.
The Holy Gospel appointed for this Sunday St. John 20: 19-31, announces how our Lord Jesus Christ conferred huge powers upon his followers when he appeared to them as the Risen Christ. This story places at our disposal the same kind of Easter power.
The appearance of Jesus appears to be substantiated by the other Gospel account in Luke. The disciples were quite obviously in a state of shock. They were completely drenched with fear because of what might happen to them in the light of the disappearance of Jesus from the tomb. They are locked in the Upper Room as a defense against anyone who might be seeking them out.
The first words Jesus uttered to his assembled and frightened disciples the first time He saw them after the resurrection was “PEACE BE WITH YOU!” Jesus speaks these words to the disciples, once without Thomas and once when Thomas was present.
What is the message of Easter for you this year? I believe God has a new message for us this morning. For those of you who live constantly in fear: fear of failure, fear of death, fear of so many things, etc., etc. and the list goes on. Christ is risen and He brings PEACE!
Sometimes we do not know how to convey the news to someone, to the group of fearful disciples the risen Lord Jesus comes to them to take away the fear and tells them “Peace be unto you”. View the entire short sermon.
March 31, 2024 NOW WHAT?
May the peace and grace of our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
The Apostle Paul insists that the resurrection is central to Christianity. 1 Corinthians 15:14–19, we read “and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain, and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied" (NRSV).
Love carried Christ to the cross, but the moral influence of a mere model of love is of minimal value. The crucifixion without the resurrection grants no forgiveness. But the Bible insists that this Jesus – crucified, dead, and buried – rose from the dead! Furthermore, this is the best news anyone could ever hear. The resurrection of Jesus is that kind of news: life-changing truth, which demands at least three responses from us today.
According to the gospel passage for this Easter Sunday St. John 20:1-18, we must accept the “Resurrection” because it is true: (John 20.1-10) Peter and John run to the tomb after Mary’s report of a missing body. John arrives first and stops at the short doorway. Peter plunges into the cave, John then follows. They see something surprising: the burial cloth. God provides more evidence of the resurrection: the testimonies of Jesus’ apostles, the reports of hundreds of eyewitnesses, the changed character of the disciples, and the manuscripts which offer many proofs of their historicity and reliability. We could also study how these accounts have marks of first-hand truth to the evidence of the empty tomb. View the entire short sermon.
May the peace and grace of our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
The Apostle Paul insists that the resurrection is central to Christianity. 1 Corinthians 15:14–19, we read “and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain, and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied" (NRSV).
Love carried Christ to the cross, but the moral influence of a mere model of love is of minimal value. The crucifixion without the resurrection grants no forgiveness. But the Bible insists that this Jesus – crucified, dead, and buried – rose from the dead! Furthermore, this is the best news anyone could ever hear. The resurrection of Jesus is that kind of news: life-changing truth, which demands at least three responses from us today.
According to the gospel passage for this Easter Sunday St. John 20:1-18, we must accept the “Resurrection” because it is true: (John 20.1-10) Peter and John run to the tomb after Mary’s report of a missing body. John arrives first and stops at the short doorway. Peter plunges into the cave, John then follows. They see something surprising: the burial cloth. God provides more evidence of the resurrection: the testimonies of Jesus’ apostles, the reports of hundreds of eyewitnesses, the changed character of the disciples, and the manuscripts which offer many proofs of their historicity and reliability. We could also study how these accounts have marks of first-hand truth to the evidence of the empty tomb. View the entire short sermon.
March 17, 2024 DEEP IN OUR HEARTS
The context to the gospel passage for this Sunday St. John 12:20-33, Jesus was on His way to the cross. His public ministry was coming to a close and a variety of things were unfolding. A crowd of people from many different places had gathered for the Passover Feast. The people in the crowd had many different opinions of Jesus. The religious Jews were upset because people were following Jesus. They were plotting how they might go about killing Him. They said, “Look, how the whole world has gone after Him.”
John writes in this passage about some Greeks, Gentiles who had come to worship at the Passover, went to Philip and said, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” They were seekers who were sincere people but they only had limited access at the Feast. They probably approached Philip because he was from Bethsaida where there was a large settlement of Gentiles. Maybe they recognized Philip and Andrew as having Greek names who would be more receptive and less likely to snub them.
When these Greeks (Gentiles) came and requested to see Jesus, He was pleased about it because they were some of the first Gentiles who were being brought into the harvest. He considered them “first-fruits” of the great harvest of Gentiles that was to be brought into the kingdom of God. At that point Jesus explained what is about to happen at the crucifixion when He tells them, if you read the verse 24: “except a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”. View entire short sermon.
The context to the gospel passage for this Sunday St. John 12:20-33, Jesus was on His way to the cross. His public ministry was coming to a close and a variety of things were unfolding. A crowd of people from many different places had gathered for the Passover Feast. The people in the crowd had many different opinions of Jesus. The religious Jews were upset because people were following Jesus. They were plotting how they might go about killing Him. They said, “Look, how the whole world has gone after Him.”
John writes in this passage about some Greeks, Gentiles who had come to worship at the Passover, went to Philip and said, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” They were seekers who were sincere people but they only had limited access at the Feast. They probably approached Philip because he was from Bethsaida where there was a large settlement of Gentiles. Maybe they recognized Philip and Andrew as having Greek names who would be more receptive and less likely to snub them.
When these Greeks (Gentiles) came and requested to see Jesus, He was pleased about it because they were some of the first Gentiles who were being brought into the harvest. He considered them “first-fruits” of the great harvest of Gentiles that was to be brought into the kingdom of God. At that point Jesus explained what is about to happen at the crucifixion when He tells them, if you read the verse 24: “except a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds”. View entire short sermon.
March 10, 2024 NO MATTER WHAT
In the Holy Gospel appointed for this Sunday St. John 3: 14-21, our Lord refers to the manner in which Moses "lifted up the serpent in the wilderness." The incident to which our Lord referred is narrated in the First Lesson from Numbers 21: 4-9. The reason that Jesus saw a parallel between his own passion and the lifting up of the brazen serpent was because the conditions were the same. Whether it was Jesus who said it, or John the writer of the gospel editorialized about it, the fact is that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."
The problem is that the world is perishing as surely as the Israelites were dying of poisonous venom. That is not difficult to see. Yet we are stuck with the hard fact that all nations still go to war. We know that we have to spend enormous sums to maintain a defense posture. Yet we have not found ways to make it just as emergent to fight the enemies of hunger, famine, and injustice all over the world. The world sows the seeds of its own destruction. Evil and demonic leadership shows us how people prefer to live in the bondage to their own desires rather than to live for the sake of others.
Another condition which is the same as that of the time of the children of Israel in the desert is that the world is in the dark. In his gospel John writes, "The people loved darkness rather than light." That was the same way in which the Israelites said they preferred the days of slavery in Egypt to the freedom under God in the desert. In the same way the world is in the dark today. View entire short sermon.
In the Holy Gospel appointed for this Sunday St. John 3: 14-21, our Lord refers to the manner in which Moses "lifted up the serpent in the wilderness." The incident to which our Lord referred is narrated in the First Lesson from Numbers 21: 4-9. The reason that Jesus saw a parallel between his own passion and the lifting up of the brazen serpent was because the conditions were the same. Whether it was Jesus who said it, or John the writer of the gospel editorialized about it, the fact is that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."
The problem is that the world is perishing as surely as the Israelites were dying of poisonous venom. That is not difficult to see. Yet we are stuck with the hard fact that all nations still go to war. We know that we have to spend enormous sums to maintain a defense posture. Yet we have not found ways to make it just as emergent to fight the enemies of hunger, famine, and injustice all over the world. The world sows the seeds of its own destruction. Evil and demonic leadership shows us how people prefer to live in the bondage to their own desires rather than to live for the sake of others.
Another condition which is the same as that of the time of the children of Israel in the desert is that the world is in the dark. In his gospel John writes, "The people loved darkness rather than light." That was the same way in which the Israelites said they preferred the days of slavery in Egypt to the freedom under God in the desert. In the same way the world is in the dark today. View entire short sermon.
March 3, 2024 BEAUTIFUL LAW
The gospel passage for the third Sunday in Lent is St. John 2:13-22, in which we read that Jesus went on a cleaning spree in the Temple. It was Passover time, the Jewish holiday that recognized the angel of death in Egypt. Jewish pilgrims came from all over to the great Temple in Jerusalem and thank God for their deliverance from slavery. Currently they are under Roman oppression, the religious leadership has been corrupted by trade and commerce.
The Jewish people who come from different parts of the country for religious observance found that the money changers had moved right into the court of the Temple. They were disobeying the spirit of the Law. To buy animals for their Passover sacrifice, the people had to convert their own currency into the local Temple coin and they were cheated by the money changers at high rates.
The sacredness of the Temple’s purpose for the people was violated. On to this scene, Jesus came, with a whip made from rope; he drove the animals and their keepers out of the courtyard. He dumped the moneychanger’s sacks. All their profits are rolled on to the floor. Jesus overturned their tables. He ordered the keepers of the animals and doves to keep out of the Temple and shouted at them “stop making my Father’s house a marketplace”!
When the people asked Jesus “give us a sign” Jesus told them to destroy the Temple and he will raise it three days. Jesus did not mean the actual building. He referred to the Temple as the place of worship of the true God. They have destroyed the covenant with Yahweh one more time. The situation was this; the temple priest needed money to renovate the building, the way they chose was to compromise the principles of their own faith. View the entire short sermon.
The gospel passage for the third Sunday in Lent is St. John 2:13-22, in which we read that Jesus went on a cleaning spree in the Temple. It was Passover time, the Jewish holiday that recognized the angel of death in Egypt. Jewish pilgrims came from all over to the great Temple in Jerusalem and thank God for their deliverance from slavery. Currently they are under Roman oppression, the religious leadership has been corrupted by trade and commerce.
The Jewish people who come from different parts of the country for religious observance found that the money changers had moved right into the court of the Temple. They were disobeying the spirit of the Law. To buy animals for their Passover sacrifice, the people had to convert their own currency into the local Temple coin and they were cheated by the money changers at high rates.
The sacredness of the Temple’s purpose for the people was violated. On to this scene, Jesus came, with a whip made from rope; he drove the animals and their keepers out of the courtyard. He dumped the moneychanger’s sacks. All their profits are rolled on to the floor. Jesus overturned their tables. He ordered the keepers of the animals and doves to keep out of the Temple and shouted at them “stop making my Father’s house a marketplace”!
When the people asked Jesus “give us a sign” Jesus told them to destroy the Temple and he will raise it three days. Jesus did not mean the actual building. He referred to the Temple as the place of worship of the true God. They have destroyed the covenant with Yahweh one more time. The situation was this; the temple priest needed money to renovate the building, the way they chose was to compromise the principles of their own faith. View the entire short sermon.
February 25, 2024 ALWAYS CLOSE
The gospel passage for this second Sunday in Lent is St. Mark 8:31-38, in verse 34 we read, “And when he had called the people to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘Whoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” I have read many commentaries and explanations for this verse. Some suggest this act is talking about giving up things for God.
To understand what Jesus was saying, you must first see this verse in the context of this chapter and understand the cultural context: that is, to see what the cross meant to the people in the days of Jesus. In the verses 31-33, Jesus had made it very clear that His path will lead to self-denial and suffering and to a cross. When Jesus is talking about self-denial and suffering, He’s basically calling His disciples to follow in His steps in suffering for His cause of establishing the Kingdom of God
Culturally, the cross in the days of Jesus was not pretty jewelry around their necks; rather it was an instrument of torture, suffering and death. The point is, Jesus was laying out the realities for those who aspired to follow Him. It would involve two things: First, it would require denying self. To deny yourself means to turn from self-centeredness and every attempt to orient your life by your own self-interests. It’s to follow wholeheartedly the will of God, even if it means great sacrifice and hardship.
Second, it means to take up the cross of Christ. In Jesus’ day, bearing one’s cross conjured up the sight of a condemned man forced to demonstrate his submission to Rome by carrying the crossbeam through the city to his place of execution. So, to “take up our cross” is to accept our submission to Jesus against whom we had previously rebelled.
These two requirements of discipleship signify our total allegiance to Jesus and total relinquishment of everything you have to Him. Jesus continues in verse 35, “For whoever will save his life will lose it; but whoever will lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Jesus is not talking about the cost of our salvation here because salvation is free.
View the entire short sermon.
The gospel passage for this second Sunday in Lent is St. Mark 8:31-38, in verse 34 we read, “And when he had called the people to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘Whoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” I have read many commentaries and explanations for this verse. Some suggest this act is talking about giving up things for God.
To understand what Jesus was saying, you must first see this verse in the context of this chapter and understand the cultural context: that is, to see what the cross meant to the people in the days of Jesus. In the verses 31-33, Jesus had made it very clear that His path will lead to self-denial and suffering and to a cross. When Jesus is talking about self-denial and suffering, He’s basically calling His disciples to follow in His steps in suffering for His cause of establishing the Kingdom of God
Culturally, the cross in the days of Jesus was not pretty jewelry around their necks; rather it was an instrument of torture, suffering and death. The point is, Jesus was laying out the realities for those who aspired to follow Him. It would involve two things: First, it would require denying self. To deny yourself means to turn from self-centeredness and every attempt to orient your life by your own self-interests. It’s to follow wholeheartedly the will of God, even if it means great sacrifice and hardship.
Second, it means to take up the cross of Christ. In Jesus’ day, bearing one’s cross conjured up the sight of a condemned man forced to demonstrate his submission to Rome by carrying the crossbeam through the city to his place of execution. So, to “take up our cross” is to accept our submission to Jesus against whom we had previously rebelled.
These two requirements of discipleship signify our total allegiance to Jesus and total relinquishment of everything you have to Him. Jesus continues in verse 35, “For whoever will save his life will lose it; but whoever will lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Jesus is not talking about the cost of our salvation here because salvation is free.
View the entire short sermon.
February 18, 2024 GOD’S LOVING PATHS
Lent is to be the time in which Christians remember and reflect on Jesus’ Journey to the cross. Traditionally, it is also a time to reflect on our own lives and faith to practice spiritual disciplines such as praying, fasting, and to renew our baptismal covenant as disciples. Lent is a time to consider what we need to release, which is another image of repentance. The question about the release is what do we need to let go? What has a hold on us to the degree that it keeps us from a daily awareness of the love and grace of God?
The Holy Gospel for this First Sunday in Lent is from Mark 1:9-15, a brief account of the temptation of Christ. We do not know precisely how all the temptations did come to our Lord. However, we do know that our Lord as we read in Hebrews 4:11 "in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin". What is important for us to understand is that Jesus was tempted all through his life. Of all those temptations, the most troublesome ones had to be the kind of temptation he experienced in the very beginning of his ministry. Those temptations had to do with the use of power, and they were repeated in a variety of ways throughout his ministry.
One of the traditional themes of Lent is confession and there is one place where what the church has called confession is practiced religiously. Even if we are familiar with the practice of confession in our private prayer, even if we fear the idea of making an inventory of our Christian life, it is important to know we need to confess our sins.
To follow a confession path during the season of Lent means that we spend some time in prayer reflecting on our lives as Christians. It means that if that reflection reveals some shortcoming to us, then we confess that to God. We need not fear the examination of conscience nor confession, because Jesus has already paid it all. Jesus had done that once for all, for each one of us. So, reflection and confession are not supposed to be beating ourselves over the head with guilt and shame. They are our ways of recommitting our lives to Christ each year during Lent. View the entire short sermon.
Lent is to be the time in which Christians remember and reflect on Jesus’ Journey to the cross. Traditionally, it is also a time to reflect on our own lives and faith to practice spiritual disciplines such as praying, fasting, and to renew our baptismal covenant as disciples. Lent is a time to consider what we need to release, which is another image of repentance. The question about the release is what do we need to let go? What has a hold on us to the degree that it keeps us from a daily awareness of the love and grace of God?
The Holy Gospel for this First Sunday in Lent is from Mark 1:9-15, a brief account of the temptation of Christ. We do not know precisely how all the temptations did come to our Lord. However, we do know that our Lord as we read in Hebrews 4:11 "in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin". What is important for us to understand is that Jesus was tempted all through his life. Of all those temptations, the most troublesome ones had to be the kind of temptation he experienced in the very beginning of his ministry. Those temptations had to do with the use of power, and they were repeated in a variety of ways throughout his ministry.
One of the traditional themes of Lent is confession and there is one place where what the church has called confession is practiced religiously. Even if we are familiar with the practice of confession in our private prayer, even if we fear the idea of making an inventory of our Christian life, it is important to know we need to confess our sins.
To follow a confession path during the season of Lent means that we spend some time in prayer reflecting on our lives as Christians. It means that if that reflection reveals some shortcoming to us, then we confess that to God. We need not fear the examination of conscience nor confession, because Jesus has already paid it all. Jesus had done that once for all, for each one of us. So, reflection and confession are not supposed to be beating ourselves over the head with guilt and shame. They are our ways of recommitting our lives to Christ each year during Lent. View the entire short sermon.
February 11, 2024 COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY
When we look at the scripture passage for this Sunday, St. Mark 9:2-9, it’s all about the Blessed Hope we have in the return of Jesus. It is also the account of the transfiguration of Jesus. But the transfiguration is a preview, a foretaste of the second coming of Jesus.
The transfiguration of Jesus is an important turning point in His ministry. The three gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke record it. What is the purpose of the transfiguration? It was more than just Jesus showing that He was God in flesh. There is an important truth: He was trying to communicate to his disciples. In this message, let’s examine the main truth, and then look at three applications of this truth.
Our main thought will be the “Transfiguration”. It is a preview of the Second Coming of Jesus: The transfiguration is like a preview of a coming attraction, a literal attraction, the second coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain, and they were given a front-row seat to the preview of when Jesus returns in majesty and glory. View the entire shot sermon.
When we look at the scripture passage for this Sunday, St. Mark 9:2-9, it’s all about the Blessed Hope we have in the return of Jesus. It is also the account of the transfiguration of Jesus. But the transfiguration is a preview, a foretaste of the second coming of Jesus.
The transfiguration of Jesus is an important turning point in His ministry. The three gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke record it. What is the purpose of the transfiguration? It was more than just Jesus showing that He was God in flesh. There is an important truth: He was trying to communicate to his disciples. In this message, let’s examine the main truth, and then look at three applications of this truth.
Our main thought will be the “Transfiguration”. It is a preview of the Second Coming of Jesus: The transfiguration is like a preview of a coming attraction, a literal attraction, the second coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain, and they were given a front-row seat to the preview of when Jesus returns in majesty and glory. View the entire shot sermon.
January 28, 2024 POWER TO DO
In our passage for this Sunday St. Mark 1:21-28, we understand Jesus drives out the spirit of evil and fills it with a spirit of love. It was remarkable and even miraculous. The first chapter of Mark describes the start of Jesus’ ministry by John the Baptizer baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan. After his baptism Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days, where Satan tempted him. When Jesus returned victoriously, he invited Simon, Andrew, James, and John to follow him. Jesus went into a synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching because he taught them with authority.
What is a synagogue? There is a basic difference between the synagogue and the Temple, as we know it today. The synagogue was primarily a teaching institution. The synagogue service consisted of only three things: (1). Prayer (2) Reading of God’s word and (3) the exposition of the word. There is no music or singing, and no sacrifice. It may be said the Temple was the place of worship and sacrifice: the synagogue is the place of teaching and instruction.
The Jewish law laid down the rules for every ten Jewish families there should be one synagogue. If a person wants to preach a new message, synagogue is the best place to preach. The synagogue had a ruler, who was responsible for administration of the service. Daily collection will be taken in cash and in kind and they are distributed to the poor by the distributor as alms. The poor were given fourteen meals per week. There was another person who was called as Minister; he was responsible for the Scripture and scrolls. The synagogue did not have a permanent preacher or teacher.
When a synagogue service is going on the ruler will call on any competent person to give the address and the exposition. That is why Jesus was able to open his ministry in the synagogue. Jesus was known to be a man with messages and for that very reason the synagogue of every community provided the pulpit. When Jesus did teach in the synagogue the whole method and atmosphere of his teaching was like a new revelation. View the entire short sermon.
In our passage for this Sunday St. Mark 1:21-28, we understand Jesus drives out the spirit of evil and fills it with a spirit of love. It was remarkable and even miraculous. The first chapter of Mark describes the start of Jesus’ ministry by John the Baptizer baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan. After his baptism Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days, where Satan tempted him. When Jesus returned victoriously, he invited Simon, Andrew, James, and John to follow him. Jesus went into a synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching because he taught them with authority.
What is a synagogue? There is a basic difference between the synagogue and the Temple, as we know it today. The synagogue was primarily a teaching institution. The synagogue service consisted of only three things: (1). Prayer (2) Reading of God’s word and (3) the exposition of the word. There is no music or singing, and no sacrifice. It may be said the Temple was the place of worship and sacrifice: the synagogue is the place of teaching and instruction.
The Jewish law laid down the rules for every ten Jewish families there should be one synagogue. If a person wants to preach a new message, synagogue is the best place to preach. The synagogue had a ruler, who was responsible for administration of the service. Daily collection will be taken in cash and in kind and they are distributed to the poor by the distributor as alms. The poor were given fourteen meals per week. There was another person who was called as Minister; he was responsible for the Scripture and scrolls. The synagogue did not have a permanent preacher or teacher.
When a synagogue service is going on the ruler will call on any competent person to give the address and the exposition. That is why Jesus was able to open his ministry in the synagogue. Jesus was known to be a man with messages and for that very reason the synagogue of every community provided the pulpit. When Jesus did teach in the synagogue the whole method and atmosphere of his teaching was like a new revelation. View the entire short sermon.
February 4, 2024 SOURCE OF STRENGTH
This Sunday’s gospel passage St. Mark 1:29-39. We learn that Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry had some very profound consequences for those who received the gospel message and were healed by Jesus. This passage in Mark’s gospel gives us the opportunity to ponder the healing work of Jesus. In the Mark gospel, approximately one-third of it is composed of Jesus’ healing miracles. For Mark, Jesus often combines his words with his works and his actions. This passage reminds us that the ministry of Jesus preaching the gospel and healing people of all manner of illness and disease caused by sin and evil.
I believe that we, particularly as Christians need to take the healing ministry of Jesus more seriously. It is no accident that in the New Testament Greek, the word “to heal” also means “to save.” Jesus saves people through healing them of physical, mental, emotional, and other diseases and illnesses. In doing so, Jesus is demonstrating the power of God and of the gospel to the world.
In the Bible, healing is the symbol of redemptive grace and a manifestation of God’s love. Healing and salvation are constantly associated. In Jeremiah. 17:14 we read “Heal me o Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou are my praise.” In I Kings 8:37-39, When Solomon, having completed the building of the Temple, is addressing to God his magnificent prayer of consecration, he asks God to comfort them with His blessing in all their troubles - calamity, disease, and sin…
Jesus performs His miracles of healing in order to relieve the suffering of those who appeal to Him, but He always performs them in order to show forth God’s power as well. When Jesus sends his disciples two by two as we read in Luke 9: 2 “He set them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal.” The gift of healing played a large part in the primitive church. We read in I Corinthians 12: 9 “to another faith by the same Spirit to other gifts of healing by the one Spirit.” View the entire short sermon.
This Sunday’s gospel passage St. Mark 1:29-39. We learn that Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry had some very profound consequences for those who received the gospel message and were healed by Jesus. This passage in Mark’s gospel gives us the opportunity to ponder the healing work of Jesus. In the Mark gospel, approximately one-third of it is composed of Jesus’ healing miracles. For Mark, Jesus often combines his words with his works and his actions. This passage reminds us that the ministry of Jesus preaching the gospel and healing people of all manner of illness and disease caused by sin and evil.
I believe that we, particularly as Christians need to take the healing ministry of Jesus more seriously. It is no accident that in the New Testament Greek, the word “to heal” also means “to save.” Jesus saves people through healing them of physical, mental, emotional, and other diseases and illnesses. In doing so, Jesus is demonstrating the power of God and of the gospel to the world.
In the Bible, healing is the symbol of redemptive grace and a manifestation of God’s love. Healing and salvation are constantly associated. In Jeremiah. 17:14 we read “Heal me o Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for thou are my praise.” In I Kings 8:37-39, When Solomon, having completed the building of the Temple, is addressing to God his magnificent prayer of consecration, he asks God to comfort them with His blessing in all their troubles - calamity, disease, and sin…
Jesus performs His miracles of healing in order to relieve the suffering of those who appeal to Him, but He always performs them in order to show forth God’s power as well. When Jesus sends his disciples two by two as we read in Luke 9: 2 “He set them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal.” The gift of healing played a large part in the primitive church. We read in I Corinthians 12: 9 “to another faith by the same Spirit to other gifts of healing by the one Spirit.” View the entire short sermon.
January 21, 2024 FOLLOW ME
In the gospel text for this Sunday St. Mark 1:14-20, we find a statement about a radical discipleship. It needs to be pointed out at the beginning, this reading is the most compact and compressed statement of the gospel expressed anywhere in the New Testament. New Testament scholars point out, in these few verses, Jesus' role as an authoritative, compelling, charismatic preacher is defined; the fruit of the gospel message is expressed. For Peter, Andrew, James, and John the meaning of Discipleship is the result of seeing Jesus and hearing his message is well described.
The word in verse 18, "immediately" captures our attention. Jesus called Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, and immediately they left their nets and followed him. They abandoned their nets, their boats, and their livelihood. They walked away from their old life, their old ways of doing things, their kindred and family.
Accepting the discipleship is taking a risk. This is a radical and bold move on the four fishermen's part. Why? Why did they do it? It appears that their response is simply and exclusively based on the power of Jesus' personality and message. The call of Jesus is so strong in their lives that all the burdens of their old lives are abandoned; their boats and nets, their families, their old life, and old ways of doing things are abandoned. Immediately, they make this radical move to become disciples of this charismatic preacher.
We must keep in mind that one of the purposes of Mark's gospel is to help us understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. This Jesus of Nazareth is radical, new, and different. He is preaching to the poor and the dispossessed in Galilee who cannot afford the price-of-living in Jerusalem. What are his career prospects? The chances appear rather clear that he will end up like his cousin John the Baptist, facing both prison and death. View the entire short sermon.
In the gospel text for this Sunday St. Mark 1:14-20, we find a statement about a radical discipleship. It needs to be pointed out at the beginning, this reading is the most compact and compressed statement of the gospel expressed anywhere in the New Testament. New Testament scholars point out, in these few verses, Jesus' role as an authoritative, compelling, charismatic preacher is defined; the fruit of the gospel message is expressed. For Peter, Andrew, James, and John the meaning of Discipleship is the result of seeing Jesus and hearing his message is well described.
The word in verse 18, "immediately" captures our attention. Jesus called Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, and immediately they left their nets and followed him. They abandoned their nets, their boats, and their livelihood. They walked away from their old life, their old ways of doing things, their kindred and family.
Accepting the discipleship is taking a risk. This is a radical and bold move on the four fishermen's part. Why? Why did they do it? It appears that their response is simply and exclusively based on the power of Jesus' personality and message. The call of Jesus is so strong in their lives that all the burdens of their old lives are abandoned; their boats and nets, their families, their old life, and old ways of doing things are abandoned. Immediately, they make this radical move to become disciples of this charismatic preacher.
We must keep in mind that one of the purposes of Mark's gospel is to help us understand what it means to be a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. This Jesus of Nazareth is radical, new, and different. He is preaching to the poor and the dispossessed in Galilee who cannot afford the price-of-living in Jerusalem. What are his career prospects? The chances appear rather clear that he will end up like his cousin John the Baptist, facing both prison and death. View the entire short sermon.
January 14, 2024 KNOWN AND LOVED
The Old Testament passage for this Sunday, I Samuel 3:1-20, is about the story of Samuel. I love the story of young Samuel apparently sleeping in the sanctuary. Some years before, his mother Hannah had brought him to Shiloh in fulfillment of a promise she had made to God before the boy was ever born - as a woman who had been unable to have children, she promised God that if she were to be granted that privilege, she would return the child to divine service. She was as good as her word - Samuel was born, and as soon as he was able to make it on his own, she brought the lad to the High Priest Eli. After all, Samuel was only hers for a little while; Samuel was on LOAN from the Lord.
It was not the best of times for the people of Israel, but not the worst either. There were no wars going on, no threats from hostile neighbors, although the Philistines were always looming nearby. The nation was not the unified whole it would come to be, but rather still a loose confederation of tribes. Religiously, no new ground was being broken.
In fact, it seems that the faith that had sustained the people through centuries of slavery, the exodus from Egypt, a generation of wilderness wandering, and finally settlement in the promised homeland, was now reduced to the routine. As the text has it in verse 1, "The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread." Sounds unnervingly familiar, does it not? Because even to this day people are waiting for the word of God to come to them.
Now we find Samuel. He is asleep in the sanctuary, apparently his assigned position near the Ark of the Covenant. A voice comes in the early morning darkness: "Samuel...Samuel." The boy assumes it is Eli calling...no one else is there. Eli has called like this before - he is old, nearly blind; he needs help getting around. So, rubbing sleep from his eyes, the boy goes into the old man and says, "Here am I. You called?"
Just as sleepily, the aging priest turns over on his palate and says, "No, I didn't. Go back to sleep." So, the boy turns, goes back through the curtain, and lays down again. But now the call comes again and again: "Samuel!" You can imagine the perplexed look that comes over the child's face. He comes back to Eli, not quite so sleepily now. He was still awake from the first visit. "You called?"
The third time Samuel ran to Eli and asked, "You called?" Samuel must have thought Eli was playing a game with him, but it was certainly a strange time of the night for games. But by now, Eli knows to whom the voice belongs. He turns that old gray head and those age-dimmed eyes to the boy Samuel and says, "No, I did not call. Go back and lie down. But if the voice comes again, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'"
Now the boy's mind is racing a mile a minute. What could the Lord want with him? He had never heard of anyone else being called this way. So, with a little shrug of the shoulders, it is back to bed again. And sure enough, a fourth time it comes: "Samuel...Samuel!"
"Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." And the rest, as they say, is history. The young boy who met God in the sanctuary responded to the divine call and went on to become Yahweh's messenger to Israel...ranking in the eyes of the faithful with Moses and Abraham. Have you anytime recognized the voice of God and said Lord Speak to me for I am listening. God will speak to us in many ways, if you would like to learn more about how to listen to the voice of God, please join us in our worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM.
The Old Testament passage for this Sunday, I Samuel 3:1-20, is about the story of Samuel. I love the story of young Samuel apparently sleeping in the sanctuary. Some years before, his mother Hannah had brought him to Shiloh in fulfillment of a promise she had made to God before the boy was ever born - as a woman who had been unable to have children, she promised God that if she were to be granted that privilege, she would return the child to divine service. She was as good as her word - Samuel was born, and as soon as he was able to make it on his own, she brought the lad to the High Priest Eli. After all, Samuel was only hers for a little while; Samuel was on LOAN from the Lord.
It was not the best of times for the people of Israel, but not the worst either. There were no wars going on, no threats from hostile neighbors, although the Philistines were always looming nearby. The nation was not the unified whole it would come to be, but rather still a loose confederation of tribes. Religiously, no new ground was being broken.
In fact, it seems that the faith that had sustained the people through centuries of slavery, the exodus from Egypt, a generation of wilderness wandering, and finally settlement in the promised homeland, was now reduced to the routine. As the text has it in verse 1, "The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread." Sounds unnervingly familiar, does it not? Because even to this day people are waiting for the word of God to come to them.
Now we find Samuel. He is asleep in the sanctuary, apparently his assigned position near the Ark of the Covenant. A voice comes in the early morning darkness: "Samuel...Samuel." The boy assumes it is Eli calling...no one else is there. Eli has called like this before - he is old, nearly blind; he needs help getting around. So, rubbing sleep from his eyes, the boy goes into the old man and says, "Here am I. You called?"
Just as sleepily, the aging priest turns over on his palate and says, "No, I didn't. Go back to sleep." So, the boy turns, goes back through the curtain, and lays down again. But now the call comes again and again: "Samuel!" You can imagine the perplexed look that comes over the child's face. He comes back to Eli, not quite so sleepily now. He was still awake from the first visit. "You called?"
The third time Samuel ran to Eli and asked, "You called?" Samuel must have thought Eli was playing a game with him, but it was certainly a strange time of the night for games. But by now, Eli knows to whom the voice belongs. He turns that old gray head and those age-dimmed eyes to the boy Samuel and says, "No, I did not call. Go back and lie down. But if the voice comes again, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'"
Now the boy's mind is racing a mile a minute. What could the Lord want with him? He had never heard of anyone else being called this way. So, with a little shrug of the shoulders, it is back to bed again. And sure enough, a fourth time it comes: "Samuel...Samuel!"
"Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." And the rest, as they say, is history. The young boy who met God in the sanctuary responded to the divine call and went on to become Yahweh's messenger to Israel...ranking in the eyes of the faithful with Moses and Abraham. Have you anytime recognized the voice of God and said Lord Speak to me for I am listening. God will speak to us in many ways, if you would like to learn more about how to listen to the voice of God, please join us in our worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM.
January 7, 2024 DEFINING MOMENTS
The gospel passage for this Sunday St. Mark 1:4-11 we read John the Baptist advises us some important things that pertain to our faith.
First is the path of faith that leads us to confession or repentance. John the Baptist's message came as a shock to those who heard it. They expected to hear the message of God's return, His vindication for His People and His Judgment against all the pagan nations. People expected to hear a message praising the people of God while at the same time condemning all the Gentile nations.
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John the Baptist’s message is one that we need to hear today. We too are at a time when it appears that things on the surface are okay but we all sense that there is something wrong. We have more books published about how to live as a disciple of Jesus and yet as a Body of Christ we are experiencing more division, more divorce and more distorted thinking than ever.
There is a growing spirit of putting up walls instead of building bridges. There is a growing spirit of casting out those who don't think like us, live like us, or appreciate our values. There is a growing spirit of being at war with our enemies and those of other faiths. There is a spirit of anger and malice towards those who do not agree with us or join in our causes.
This is not the way of Jesus nor is it the way of His disciples. Yes, Jesus does not want us to compromise or to believe that anyone else, but He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That is a given. That's solid. But instead of walls we must begin to build bridges of love. We need to go to war on our knees in prayer for them to see the Light and to receive Our Lord Jesus as their Savior and LORD. We need to quit worrying about being politically correct or incorrect and be people of prayer, the Word and Holiness. View the entire short sermon.
The gospel passage for this Sunday St. Mark 1:4-11 we read John the Baptist advises us some important things that pertain to our faith.
First is the path of faith that leads us to confession or repentance. John the Baptist's message came as a shock to those who heard it. They expected to hear the message of God's return, His vindication for His People and His Judgment against all the pagan nations. People expected to hear a message praising the people of God while at the same time condemning all the Gentile nations.
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John the Baptist’s message is one that we need to hear today. We too are at a time when it appears that things on the surface are okay but we all sense that there is something wrong. We have more books published about how to live as a disciple of Jesus and yet as a Body of Christ we are experiencing more division, more divorce and more distorted thinking than ever.
There is a growing spirit of putting up walls instead of building bridges. There is a growing spirit of casting out those who don't think like us, live like us, or appreciate our values. There is a growing spirit of being at war with our enemies and those of other faiths. There is a spirit of anger and malice towards those who do not agree with us or join in our causes.
This is not the way of Jesus nor is it the way of His disciples. Yes, Jesus does not want us to compromise or to believe that anyone else, but He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That is a given. That's solid. But instead of walls we must begin to build bridges of love. We need to go to war on our knees in prayer for them to see the Light and to receive Our Lord Jesus as their Savior and LORD. We need to quit worrying about being politically correct or incorrect and be people of prayer, the Word and Holiness. View the entire short sermon.