Advent 1 (year B)

This Sunday we begin a new church year, and the Scriptures for the First Sunday of Advent point us to our need for redemption and how we are to await the coming of Christ. He comes to us repeatedly through Word and Sacrament, and He will come again at the end of earthly history to consummate His eternal reign.

The First or Old Testament reading for this Sunday is from Isaiah 64:1-9. It emphasizes human frailty and our dependence upon God. We are like clay that He molds according to His purposes.

Psalm 80:1-7 asks God to turn us, His flock, so that His face may shine upon us and save us.

The Second or Epistle reading is from 1 Corinthians 1:1-9. The passage emphasizes the grace of God revealed in Christ and points toward waiting for His coming. Our hope is not in ourselves but in God who is faithful. It is Jesus Christ Himself who sustains us even as we await His final triumph. Only through Him can we be ready for the day of our Lord.

The Gospel from Mark 13:24- 37 looks to the coming of the Christ to complete His work at the end of history. As even fig trees adjust to the changing seasons, followers of Christ should learn to adjust as earthly history moves along in subjection to divine plans. On the one hand, Christ's disciples must not be too hasty in their interpretations of history  because human knowledge is limited. On the other hand, Christians should always respond faithfully and be spiritually prepared. God has revealed what we need to know in Christ, We are called to stay awake, and the Advent season is one expression of that calling to be prepared and awake. As the old Phillip Nicolai hymn reminds us, "Wake, awake, for night is flying!"

Eleventh Sunday after Trinity (year A proper 16)- Matthew 16:13-20

The Gospel reading for this Sunday is from Matthew 16:13-20, the story of Simon Peter's confession at Caesarea Phillipi. When Jesus asks His disciples who they think He is, Peter boldly confesses that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God." Our Lord praises Peter's divinely inspired and faithful response, and He looks to the establishment and continuation of the Christian Church.

Peter's confession of faith is important, and despite his misunderstandings and failings, Peter is a great leader and example. However, Peter is NOT infallible, and he is not alone in his witness. The other apostles and disciples will eventually make the same profession of faith, and the whole community of the faithful will share in Peter's ministry. In other words, this Scripture and others do not portray Peter as some infallible proto-pope (in fact, Christ's calls Peter "satan" within a few verses). Neither Peter nor the others really understand the meaning of his confession until later, after the crucifixion and resurrection.

So as Christians, we honor Peter, but we must not over-emphasize the importance of the man Peter. Instead, we must emphasize the faith he professes and the deeper meaning that his profession acquires through Christ's suffering, death and resurrection. Jesus is the Christ, the only-begotten Son of the Father, who dies and rises to save us!

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (year A proper 14)-Matthew 14:22-33

The Gospel for today from Matthew 14:22-33 is the famous story of Jesus walking on water. During His earthly ministry, our Lord performed many miraculous deeds. He transformed water into wine, multiplied loaves and fish, rebuked storms, healed many sick, cast out evil spirits and restored the dead to life. Yet, in the popular mind, walking on water may seem even more impressive. Certainly, Peter and the other disciples respond in great awe.

In fact, however, Christ's walking on water expresses a truth found throughout His life, teachings and deeds. This impressive expression of divine power proclaims the same truth about His identity that we see all through the New Testament. The truth about Jesus is that He is God incarnate and that even in human form, He has power over all natural and spiritual forces. Through His power, He also conquers sin, death and the devil and offers fallen human beings new life in this world and in the world to come.

Eighth Sunday after Trinity (year A, proper 13)- Feeding the Crowds

The Gospel for this Sunday is Matthew 14:13-21, a familiar account of Jesus feeding the 5000. The miracles of Jesus feeding the hungry multitudes are repeated several times in the Gospels, and they have several levels of meaning and application. Like all miracles, multiplying the bread and the fish is an assertion of Christ's divine Lordship over nature. It is also a manifestation of His compassion for human beings in need, especially those in need because they have come to hear Him.. He cares for the immediate physical needs of the people around Him, and He is trying to teach His disciples to respond to such circumstances in mercy and in faith.

In addition, the feeding of the hungry also points toward higher needs. Human beings also have a spiritual hunger. They may not always acknowledge this hunger, but that is why they are drawn to Jesus. And just as He can satisfy their momentary physical hunger, He can also satisfy their eternal spiritual hunger through His Word and His Presence.

Pentecost 2020

 At Pentecost, we remember the descent of the Holy Spirit in a powerful new way upon Christ’s apostles and other followers on the fiftieth day after Easter. Besides the account in the Acts of the Apostles, the Gospels, especially the Gospel according to St. John, also promise the blessing of the Spirit. A key verse is from John 14. Jesus says,  “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (Jn.14:26 ESV).

Here Jesus teaches us about the basic work of the Holy Spirit among Christians. The Spirit has done, is doing, and will do many things, but the central work of the Spirit is related to the message of Jesus Christ. That work of the Spirit of Truth is to inspire believers. The Spirit of Truth is to remind, motivate, and help the disciples apply the Truth they have already heard from Jesus. Although the Holy Spirit certainly brings new life and new insight, He never brings some sort of new Gospel. The Spirit does not and will not change the core message. The Divine Spirit’s chief work is to help us apply the eternal Word in new contexts. The Spirit gives new life to the Gospel and to the Church, but the Spirit always works with and through the historic message revealed in the Scriptures (especially in the incarnate Word Jesus Christ), summarized in the Creeds and applied through the Sacraments.

Lent 5 (year A)- Lazarus

Today’s Gospel is the famous story of Lazarus’ resurrection from John 11. The outline of events in John 11:1-44 is fairly simple. Jesus is east of the Jordan teaching and healing when a message arrives that His friend Lazarus is sick. Jesus continues His work, and then despite warnings of danger, He goes to see Lazarus’ family. By the time Jesus arrives, Lazarus has been dead 4 days. Jesus has conversations with the sisters Mary and Martha, offers a public prayer and raises Lazarus.

This simple outline is interspersed with a great deal of dialogue, and the conversations are as meaningful as the events. Both the story-line and the dialogue point to a deeper understanding of Jesus' identity and work. Raising one who has clearly been dead and buried for several days is a unique miracle. It is not the act of any mere teacher, healer or prophet. It is sign of the Messiah, the Christ, and it is an act which demands a spiritual decision. Those who know of it should do as Martha does and confess faith in Jesus as the Christ.

In the verses which follow the raising of Lazarus (John 11:45-53), we see that many believe, but others, especially those with power, are frightened and angered. Some Pharisees and Sadducees plot to eliminate Jesus as a threat to the religious and political establishment. Their reaction points us toward Christ's coming Passion. It reminds us that His very goodness leads to His death.

Jesus' contemporaries are confronted by a choice. Because of His great and unique miracle, they must decide if He really is the Messiah, the Redeemer. And the same miracle leads to totally different reactions: some people have faith in Jesus; others want to oppose and destroy Him. We still face the same choices in our lives. Will we accept Jesus in faith or will we oppose Him? May divine grace lead us to believe in Him and follow Him, even in the way of the Cross!