Sermon, 3rd Sunday in Advent, 2024
The story of Israel, and of Christ as the True Israel, and of each of our lives as well, is marked by the pattern of exile and return. This is especially seen in Psalm 107. The ordained ministry is crucial to preparing the people for return back to the land of promise and blessing. They are the heralds calling to the people to repent and return to the Lord. They who minister to God’s people are not judged by the people or even by their own consciences. But as St. Paul says, “he that judgeth me is the Lord.” Ministers will be held accountable by God, and thus they must…
Sermon, 2nd Sunday in Advent, 2024
Once per year during Advent, we are called upon to consider the gift of the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God. God has graciously revealed Himself to us in the pages of the Bible. Thus, the reading of Holy Scripture is a sacrament for in them Christ gives Himself to us. They are not easy to understand, but we, like the patriarch Joseph, are called upon to wrestle with scripture, to conform our precepts to the precept that we find there, and to study them so that we may apprehend God more fully. In doing so in the company of our fellow believers in the Church throughout time, we find…
Sermon, Sunday Next Before Advent, 2024
The Sunday Next Before Advent is coloquially called, “Stir Up Sunday,” from the first words of this day’s collect. “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people.” In reading the lessons, we note the theme of “in-gathering” for the Kingdom of God is a harvest of those who have previously been dispersed throughout the whole world. Yet in the Kingdom, we are not only the object of the verb “to gather in”, but we are the subject as well. We have been gathered in, and we are called to gather in others as well. This, therefore, is the reason that we are to be stirred…
2024, Christmastide and Epiphanytide Worship and Events at Christ the King
This is a great season at Christ the King. Come join us for worship and feasting! Dec 21, Saturday, 10:30 am, Eucharist for the Feast of St. Thomas Dec 22 After our Sunday morning worship (12:15 pm): Greening of the Church After our worship for the 4th Sunday in Advent, we break out the decorations and put up the Tree while enjoying lunch, festive music, and seasonal treats. Stop by and lend a hand hanging ornaments! Dec 24, Tuesday, Christmas Eve. 5 pm: Christmas Lessons and Carols. This is a worship service of scripture readings, carols, and special music. You are invited to join us for this special and beautiful…
Sermon, 25th Sunday after Trinity, 2024
For the 25th Sunday after Epiphany, we almost always use the readings and collect from the 6th Sunday after Epiphany. The theme of the Epiphany season is Christ’s manifestation to the Gentiles, and these propers focus not only upon the fact of His manifestation, but also the reasons for His manifestation – “… that he might destroy the works of the devil, and make us the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life” (see 1 John 3). In our readings we are not only reminded of the things that Christ has done for us already, but also that His work in us of purifying and completing our salvation is…
Holy Communion, 24th Sunday after Trinity, 2024
God is good even though life is hard, even though He allows us to struggle. It is in the struggle and the trials that we are purified, that we become more like Christ. Our purification and sanctification is a life-long project, but, thanks be to God, He is faithful. Hold on to Jesus. When life is challenging and difficult, hold on to Him all the more. You will grow. In the pain, through the pain, you will know healing, joy, and peace. Propers Manuscript Sermon Archive
Sermon, 23rd Sunday after Trinity, 2024
This Sunday, we wrapped up the Unification cycle of our Trinity series on the Seven Deadly Sins by revisiting one final time, the sin of covetousness. Covetousness desires what belongs to another person. Christ said to the Pharisees, render unto Cesar the things that are Cesar’s, and render unto God, the things that are God’s. As ancient coins bore the image of the sovereign that minted them, we bear the image of the sovereign that created us. We belong to God. Will we render ourselves unto Him? Or do we withhold ourselves from Him in our self-covetousness? This is the challenge for us today and every day. Propers Manuscript …
Sermon, 15th Sunday after Trinity, 2024
Covetousness is, at its core, a distrust of God through an attempt to provide for ourselves. Yet we cannot make the sun rise or set, we cannot make it rain or shine, we cannot control the vast majority of what happens to us. So how exactly are we going to provide what we need for life? The virtue we need which opposes our greediness is justice – giving to all his due. The just person understands the relative value of things and does not clamor for that which cannot satisfy and which cannot save. God is our hope and strength, a very present help in trouble. God takes care of…
Sermon, 14th after Trinity, 2024
Will we live in the flesh or in the Spirit? This question is posed to us by St. Paul in the epistle lesson this morning. The sins of the flesh may seem attractive to us, but then the gospel lesson illustrates for us that such a life is like having leprosy. How then, are we to live in the Spirit? The virtue we need is Temperance. As followers of Jesus, this isn’t simply a strength of will to avoid sin, but it is a longing for something greater to be found in our relationship with Christ. Propers Manuscript
Baptisms, August 18, 2024
We were honored to welcome 6 new members into Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church in August.