Roots and Trees, Isaiah 11:1–10, Second Sunday in Advent, December 8, 2019 *********************************************************** I am really going out on a limb for today’s sermon but please bear with me. There was once a gentleman who bought a 35-foot tall Christmas tree for his house. Now that’s a pretty big tree. Problem was he only had a […]

Zechariah, Luke 1:5-25, Advent Midweek 1, December 4, 2019 *********************************************************** My name is Zechariah; I’m a priest, a Jewish priest. My wife is named Elizabeth. And this is the way I see it. It’s been 400 years since we have heard from a prophet. And as a result, things have been upside-down in our nation for […]

Walk in the Light of Christ, Isaiah 2:1–5, First Sunday in Advent, December 1, 2019 *********************************************************** The Season of Advent is upon us and it is time for the Christian to spend a moment, but only a moment, acknowledging its occurrence and mourning its arrival. Advent is a very important season that is unfortunately swallowed up […]

Thanksgiving Eve Prayer, Philippians 4:4-10, Thanksgiving Eve, November 27, 2019 *********************************************************** Lord God tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I should thank you for this past year, but I don’t know how. To be honest, I’m a little ashamed to talk to you. You see, I have to confess that I generally let every day go by without telling […]

The Last Day, Malachi 3:13–18, Last Sunday of the Church Year (Proper 29), November 24, 2019 *********************************************************** The Last Sunday of the Church Year is known by several names on our liturgical calendar. It is sometimes referred to as Christ the King Sunday. Christ is King of all and He holds all things together. “He is […]

The Most Beautiful Thing You Ever Saw, Malachi 4:1–6, Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 28), November 17, 2019 *********************************************************** What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? This week I took a Facebook poll and from twenty-three responses I had the following results. The most beautiful thing ever seen was the reunion with a returning […]

God Qualifies the Called, Exodus 3:1–15, Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 27), November 10, 2019 ************************************************************************* I don’t typically use personal stories or illustrations in my sermons. Some preachers do, I don’t, and there is a reason for that. First of all, I don’t like to draw attention to myself, that’s the introvert in me. Second, […]

Made White in the Blood of the Lamb, Isaiah 1:10-18, Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 26) All Saints’ Day Observed, November 3, 2019 ************************************************************************* Pope Gregory IV, who died in 844, shifted the feast of All Martyrs’ Day from May 13th to November 1st and renamed it All Saints’ Day. Unlike All Souls’ Day, this feast […]

The Eternal Gospel, Revelation 14:6–7, Reformation Day (Observed), October 27, 2019 ************************************************************************* Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the […]

WWE Smackdown, Genesis 32:22–30, Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24), October 20, 2019 *********************************************************************** The Church is constantly under a state of attack by the world, our own sinful flesh, and the evil one. How can we stand against such adversaries? It’s easy to think they are too strong for us, but there is One who […]