Sermon, Sexagesima Sunday, 2025
Today we revisit the parable of the sower, though this is perhaps more accurately described as the parable of the soils. The accompanying readings focus upon the trials of the Christian life and the security that we have with God as He brings us through these trials. We are thus being led to interpret the various soils as the challenges and struggles which we are called upon to endure. God grant us that we should persevere in those times when the devil sows doubt in our hearts, in those times of spiritual dryness, and in those times in which we are distracted from our first love. May we grown in…
Resources to Prepare for the Sacrament of Penance (Confession)
During Ash Wednesday, and the Lenten Season in general, it is highly commended to all Christians to participate in the minor sacrament of penance. It is a good and healthy spiritual exercise to examine one’s life and conduct, to confess our sins to the church, to hear God’s forgiveness authoritatively pronounced to us, and to resolve to amend one’s life by taking up spiritual disciplines to counter our besetting sins. Contact Fr. Kent to schedule a time if you would like to participate in this sacrament. You can email him here. Resources: Hints for a First Confession, by Edward Bouverie Pusey An Anglican Primer on Confession (by an anonymous priest…
Sermon, Septuagesima Sunday, 2025
On Septuagesima Sunday, we are called to awaken from our slumber. We are called to Awake, Awake to Love and Work. We are called to dedicated service our Our Lord Jesus Christ. For most of us, however, this cry passes by us without evoking any change in our attitudes or in our actions. Why is this? Perhaps it is because we don’t really long as deeply for our heavenly reward as we ought to. We consider the rewards of our efforts to be too far off, to be too intangible, to be too little to inspire us. We need to repent of holding cheaply the salvation won for us by…
Announcing The Ascension Classical Academy!
In our country, we have slowly come to a realization that we are headed in a wrong direction. As we continue down this path, it is becoming equally apparent that we don’t know what’s really wrong, and therefore we don’t know how to correct it. Certainly there are many factors that have contributed to our current predicament, but our current educational approach seems to be reinforcing the issues instead of really addressing them. Sadly, many within the church do not approach life with any different values from those outside of the church. We need a cultural reset. We must somehow step back from our current culture and its presuppositions, and…
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…
Holy Communion, First Sunday of Advent, Dec. 1, 2024
What is Advent about? There are two core themes that we find in the readings. First is the sense of urgency. Christ is coming, and therefore there is no time for procrastination! Second is the theme of preparation. Christ is coming so we must prepare to receive Him. Let us therefore repent of our sins and embrace holiness. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.” Here is the time code for the video below: 3:10 Litany 10:49 Processional Hymn 15:46 Morning Prayer 26:48 Ante-Communion 47:50 Homily 1:15:31 Comfortable Words/Sursum…
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…
Page Turners, Women’s book club for December
The ladies will be reading and discussing J.R.R. Tolkien’s Letters from Father Christmas on Dec. 10 at 6:45 pm at Heather White’s house. This is a fun read and copies of the book can be purchased at the links below: Abebooks Amazon Audiobooks.com