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Sermons
September 10, 2006
Whenever we receive a truly wonderful gift, our first thought is to give something in return. In the feast of the Nativity of the Lord, at Vespers, a beautiful verse is chanted. All of creation thanks God for His gift of Christ to us. Angels offer a hymn, the heavens offer a star, the earth offers a cave, and so on. What do we offer? It is said that we offer a “Virgin Mother.”
From another point of view, Mary is God’s gift to us. Of course, every child is a gift. When we see our newborn son or daughter, we rejoice, and we feel unworthy to hold such a blessing. But if every child is a gift, what can we say of a child who is to be higher than the angels, and who will hold the Creator in her womb? Is not that an astonishing gift?
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
September 3, 2006
Go to any “all you can eat” smorgasbord restaurant. You will see dozens of different kinds of foods, and you will have a chance to assemble your meal any way that you want. If you want only desserts – that’s okay! Or maybe meat is your thing, and you don’t want vegetables. That’s all right, too. Take what you want, leave the rest.
Modern religious life has become a smorgasbord. People pick and choose what they want to believe, and even how they want to live out their chosen beliefs. If some inconvenient Christian truth awaits them in the serving line, then something more pleasant can be found a chafing dish or two away.
Matthew 18:23-35
August 27, 2006
Today’s gospel reading is an allegory. A king (Christ) holds his servant accountable (judgment). The servant is indebted to the king (much as we are indebted to God because of our many sins). The servant receives forgiveness, and so have we. This servant, despite having been forgiven, refuses to be patient or merciful to his fellow servant, and for this reason the king revokes his forgiveness. We realize, I hope, that we, too, will be judged, especially for whether we have followed our King by being merciful and forgiving.
Today’s gospel reading is a continuation of the story about the Transfiguration. As wonderful as our Lord’s Transfiguration was, the disciples had to descend the mountain to come back into this world. The world does not always shine with God’s glory. That is because our world has lost it’s way, and here bad things still happen. Our world is a place where a boy could be possessed by a devil.
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