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Showing posts from November, 2024

Sermon - Trinity III, 2026 - Luke 15

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The Return of the Prodigal Son , Pompeo Batoni, 1773 The Joy of God to Save the Sinner In compassion God atones for sinful man Yet God desires children who love Him, not servants, so He gives us freedom to get lost God’s compassion brings back the sinner crushed by sin God, the angels, and the church rejoices over every sinner saved We have no need of jealousy, for the sinner saved only receives what we have already also received by grace When the father saw his prodigal son returning, seeing his pitiable state, he had compassion for his child. Such is the compassion of God to seek and save sinful mankind. “ As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. ” St. Paul writes: “ God our Savior, desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. ” Indeed, Jesus...
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Sermon - Proper 29, Year B, 2024 - Mark 13:24-37

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The Last Judgment , Leandro Bassano, circa 1600 Be on guard and stay awake, for Christ is coming soon. The time of Christ’s return is unknown, yet according to the signs it is imminent. The warning is that we would remain ready, lest He suddenly return and find us asleep. Let’s take stock, and see how we’ve done, and where we have room to improve. Later today we have the end of the year voters’ meeting, where we look back on the past year and take stock of how it’s gone, and look ahead to the next to prepare ourselves. This end of the year taking stock is a common thing to do in many facets of life. If you run a business you may spend time reviewing your successes and failures, so that going forward you may be able to turn a larger profit. At home you might make plans for maintenance or upgrades, so that your home might run more smoothly. In the church we Christians do this as well, but not just at a voters’ meeting which deals primarily with transient business, but personally we refle...
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Sermon - Proper 27, 2024 - Year B - Mark 12:38-44

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The Widow's Mite , Joao Zeferino da Costa, 1876 The Lord blesses the lowly The Lord condemns the vainglorious The Lord praises those who submit themselves to God The Lord looks upon the lowly and supplies all of their needs How do you know success when you see it? Typically we perceive success when we see grand displays of wealth. So the president or governor shows up in a big shiny expensive vehicle with a bunch of people and a really sharp looking suit. The businessman owns multiple properties, lake houses, big houses, manicured lawns, hired help, fancy cars, eats at expensive restaurants, wears upper class name brand and designer clothes. Successful people speak eloquently and everyone laughs at their jokes. Everyone wants to be liked by the successful person in order to get invited to their parties. Typically successful people create a following, and people cling to their coattails, hoping to benefit from their successes. Yet the Psalmist sings: “ Put not your trust in princes,...
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