by Shelly | Dec 20, 2024 | Sermons
Blessed among Women Cradle and cross are inextricably connected on the fourth Sunday of Advent. Between a lovely tribute to the little town of Bethlehem and Mary’s magnificent song of praise, the letter to the Hebrews reminds us in no uncertain terms that Christ’s...
by Shelly | Dec 13, 2024 | Sermons
Prepare your hearts for the Lord Christ’s presence in our midst in the wonder of the holy supper is cause for singing. The nearness of the God in prayer, in every circumstance, is cause for rejoicing. The coming of one “more powerful” than John, even with a winnowing...
by Shelly | Dec 6, 2024 | Sermons
Prepare your hearts for the Lord Forerunners and messengers advance the advent of our God. While John the baptizer’s voice in the wilderness may be the principal focus of the day, Malachi’s prophecy could as easily herald the coming Christ as forerunner of the Lord of...
by Shelly | Nov 29, 2024 | Sermons
Be alert and prepare Advent is about the “coming days.” God’s people have always lived in great expectation, but that expectation finds specific, repeated enunciation in the texts appointed for these four weeks. The ancients anticipated a “righteous Branch to spring...
by Shelly | Nov 20, 2024 | Sermons
A king showing sacrificial love Even after Israel had experienced the vagaries of kings, the people still longed for a true king to set things right. He would have the king’s title of Anointed One (Messiah); he would be the “one like a human being” (Son of Man) given...
by Shelly | Nov 14, 2024 | Sermons
Provoke each other to love November begins with All Saints Day and ends in or near Advent, when we anticipate Christ’s coming again. It is fitting, then, that the readings today tell of the final resurrection and the end time. In the turmoil of hope, fear, and...
