December 15, 2019 - Advent 3A

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Amen.

            This morning’s Collect is a fantastic one in our Prayer Book tradition, beginning “Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us.” That prayer is answered in the Incarnation of God in Jesus of Nazareth. The Incarnation is the foundational claim of our faith, that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God did come among us with the might of love in the flesh of Jesus. And this claim that God came among us is at the very heart of what and how we believe as Anglicans.

December 1, 2019 - Advent 1A

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Amen.

            What makes you, you? For the most part, every single one of us is identical. Two hands, two lungs, a central nervous system, dependence on food and water. One way of viewing us is that we’re all pretty much the same. And while there is a commonality among us, there is also a diversity that makes us unique. People are not interchangeable. I wouldn’t be okay if you exchanged my family for another one. So there is something that makes you, you.

December 16, 2018 - Advent 3C

Lectionary Readings

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            Once you’ve been through Advent a few times, you’ll start to notice the pattern. On the First Sunday of Advent, the focus is apocalyptic, with Jesus speaking of the end of all things. The Fourth Sunday of Advent focuses on Mary as the God-bearer. Which leaves us with Sundays two and three and their focus on John the Baptist’s prophetic ministry and call to repentance.

December 9, 2018 - Advent 2C

Lectionary Readings

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            You may have noticed that this morning’s psalm does not come from the Book of Psalms, but rather from Luke. A psalm is a hymn to God found in Scripture, and this passage from Luke certainly fits that definition. This particular psalm is known as the “Benedictus” because that is the Latin translation of the first word “blessed,” and historically, that is how psalms are named.

December 2, 2018 - Advent 1C

Lectionary Readings

O Lord, we wait in hope for your coming ☩ in the of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            The song on the radio tells us that this is the most wonderful time of the year, and it is. Advent is a special season for us as people of faith. It has been said that the Church remembers three different comings of our Lord Jesus Christ – as he comes in history, mystery, and majesty. As far as Jesus’ coming in history, we think of the Incarnation which we will celebrate more fully from December 25 through January 5. Jesus also comes to us in mystery each time that we gather in his name to break bread and share the cup. And there is his coming in majesty at the end of all things to culminate his reign of shalom and love. It is this final coming of Jesus Christ in majesty that Advent focuses on, which is why Advent is such a majestic time for us as Christians.

December 24, 2017 - Advent 4B

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Amen.

            As you’ve already figured out, this is the Fourth Sunday of Advent, not Christmas Eve. When the evening comes, we’ll then transition into celebrating that, but for at least the next hour, we remain firmly grounded in Advent. And I’m so glad to have each of you here to celebrate the fullness of Advent before rushing into Christmas. So your reward for coming to church this morning is a sermon about hell.

December 17, 2017 - Advent 3B

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Amen.

            “Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try.” John Lennon wrote those words from a religionless point of view. But to those of us inside the church, it really isn’t that hard to image there’s no heaven. You’ll recall that on the first Sunday of Advent, I mentioned that the word “eschatology” means “the last things.” And Advent has been a time that the Church has historically focused on the Four Last Things of death, judgment, heaven, and hell. But many have accused the modern Church of having a case of eschatological amnesia. In other words, we have forgotten our future. We have forgotten the end of things, and in that forgetfulness, we lose the meaning of the present.

December 10, 2017 - Advent 2B

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Amen.

            A fascinating and captivating scene of faith was the event that led to John Boehner’s resignation as Speaker of the House. I do want to be crystal clear – this is a story of faith, not politics. The fact that Boehner happens to be Republican makes no difference; the story would work just as well had it been the Democrat Nancy Pelosi at the center of the story. It was at a joint session of Congress that Pope Francis was speaking, and Boehner was sitting where the Speaker of the House does, right behind the podium, so we were able to see Boehner’s reaction throughout the speech. He sat there with tears rolling down his face as the Pope spoke. Within a day, he had resigned from his position as Speaker of the House, one of the most powerful positions in the world.

December 3, 2017 - Advent 1B

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Amen.

            Advent is arguably the most important liturgical season we have and also the easiest to miss. The most important because it comes first. The liturgical year starts not in January, but on the first Sunday of the Advent. The Church’s calendar could have been deemed to start with Easter or Pentecost, both of those would have been fine places to begin our calendar. But in her wisdom, the Church has realized that Advent is the proper place to start because it names the reality in which we Christians find ourselves – preparing to celebrate the radical claim that  the Creator of the universe took on human flesh and lived among us while also waiting for the culmination of his reign.

December 18, 2016 - Advent 4A

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come Emmanuel. Amen.

            Are you ready? Today is the final Sunday of Advent; and Christmas, both the religious festival and the secular holiday, awaits. So, are you ready? This Advent, I’ve been preaching about preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ, both as an infant born in Bethlehem and as our king and judge at the last.

December 11, 2016 - Advent 3A

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come Emmanuel. Amen.

            “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” That’s the question, isn’t it? Is Jesus the one in whom the hopes and dreams of all the years find their fulfillment? Is Jesus the Messiah, God Incarnate? Or is Jesus only a prophet and wise teacher? Because if Jesus is the one whom history has been waiting for, then there are huge implications for our lives and our faith. But if we’re supposed to be waiting for another, well, I’m probably out of a job.

December 4, 2016 - Advent 2A

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come Emmanuel. Amen.

            The message of Advent is “prepare.” But you might ask, “prepare for what?” To celebrate Christmas with a heart full of joy? To be ready to serve those in need? To be faithful so that when Christ comes again we will be judged as righteous? It matters what we are preparing for. The way that I prepare to go to the hardware store isn’t at all the way that I prepare for a meeting with the Bishop. If your teacher tells you that there will be a test tomorrow, but doesn’t tell you whether it’s going to be in math, history, biology, or English, well, it’s going to be a lot harder to be prepared. Too often, the message of Advent is “prepare for Christ’s coming,” and we’re left wondering what that really means. If we don’t know what it is that we’re preparing for, it’s nearly impossible to actually be ready.

November 27, 2016 - Advent 1A

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come Emmanuel. Amen.

            The liturgical season of Advent and the secular season of “Holiday” are quite different, but they have at least one thing in common: preparation. Both seasons focus on preparation. Advent calls us to prepare our hearts and lives for Christ to be born anew. “Holiday” calls us to prepare by baking cookies, putting up decorations, and buying gifts. To be clear, I have nothing against Bing Crosby, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” or wrapping paper.

December 20, 2015 - Advent 4C

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Amen.

            Advent calls us to pay attention. Whether it is Jesus or John the Baptist, the message of this season is to focus. There are so many distractions this time of year: lists running through our heads, an overbooked social calendar, and stress about year-end budgets. It can be easy to miss the important things. And it doesn’t help that this passage from Luke is a familiar one, so it could be easy to gloss over it. But this morning, I’d like to pay close attention to our Gospel text.

December 13, 2015 - Advent 3C

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Amen.

            The lectionary’s move through Advent mirrors our move through this season. A few weeks ago we were entering a season of putting up Christmas decorations and starting to listen to holiday music. But now things are getting real – you no longer have all month to buy gifts or plan for parties. Christmas is no longer something on the horizon, it’s nearly here and there are things that need to get done. As we began Advent a few weeks ago, we talked about themes like hope and God’s promises, but in today’s reading from Luke, things are getting very real as John the Baptist begins his preaching.

December 6, 2015 - Advent 2C

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come, Emmanuel. Amen.

            By definition, a psalm is a song of praise to God. Generally, we sing one of the psalms from the book of Psalms on Sunday, but today the lectionary presents us with a psalm that is found in Luke. Generally, psalms are named based on their first word in Latin, so today’s psalm is commonly called the Benedictus.

November 29, 2015 - Advent 1C

Lectionary Readings

O Come, O come, Emmanuel. Amen.

            What an absolute joy it is to be back in this pulpit, in this worship space. After three years of planning and five months in the Parish Hall, we are back home. The organ sounds amazing, the altar is stunningly beautiful, the Baptismal font can be seen in all its grandeur, the duct work has been replaced, the ceiling structure is now structurally sound. What a glorious morning this is!

December 21, 2014 - Advent 4B

Lectionary Readings
*Note: This sermon was only preached at the 8am service, as Bishop Hodges-Copple preached at the principal service.

O come, O come Emmanuel. Amen.

            The Annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary has been the subject of many famous paintings. A few years ago, I made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and the Church of the Annunciation was one of the most beautiful and grand places that we visited. There is something about event that has captured the imaginations and reverence of so many people. Mary is an interesting person in the faith today. One theologian has said that part of the fallout from the Reformation is that Roman Catholics have fixated on Mary while Protestants have developed amnesia about her. And I think that’s a fair assessment. Mary has never been much of a part of my spirituality, but I’ve probably been missing out by not learning more from her example of faith.

December 14, 2014 - Advent 3B

Lectionary Readings

O come, O come Emmanuel. Amen.

            It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The Square has been decorated since Halloween, shopping centers are jam-packed, and Christmas music fills the air. But being proper Episcopalians, we all know that we are in the middle of Advent. The word “advent” comes from a Latin word which means “coming.” It seems though that the world has skipped ahead of the coming and is already celebrating the arrival. Advent is a season of preparing ourselves for the birth of Jesus. It is a season to slow down and reflect. These four weeks leading up to Christmas are envisioned as a time to prepare to receive Jesus into our hearts and homes. John the Baptist speaks of preparing for Jesus by repenting- so we often focus on self-examination in Advent. I don’t know about you all, but I’m too busy to be slowing down. There are year-end financials that need attention, extra sermons to be written, and, of course, that we’re doing all of those things at home to make sure that Ellie has fond family memories of the season.

December 7, 2014 - Advent 2B

Lectionary Readings 
*preached only at 8am service, as Advent Lessons and Carols were celebrated at 10:30am

O come, O come Emmanuel. Amen.

            One scholar has called Exile the “loss of the known world.” That is the context of our reading today from chapter 40 of Isaiah. Scholars tell us that the first 39 chapters of Isaiah were written leading up to the invasion of Israel by the Babylonian Empire and the early years of their captivity in Babylon. The rest of Isaiah was written as Israel was anticipating the return to their ancestral home. Today’s reading begins with that second part of Isaiah and contains some of the most powerful words in all of Scripture- “comfort, O comfort my people.”