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A Lesson in the Art of Dying

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"Presentation at the Temple" by Giovanni Bellini Click here to listen to this sermon. “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation that You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel’” (Luke 2:25-32). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! A man of mystery waits in Jerusalem. We don’t know that much about him. We don’t

The Mystery of the Word Made Flesh

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"The Nativity" by John Singleton Copley Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! A great mystery of the ages. The key sentence of John’s Gospel. Everything before it anticipates this verse and everything that follows grows out of this verse: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The eternal Word who was with God in the beginning and who was very God of very God, “became flesh.” Notice: The Word didn’t stop being who He is, namely, true God. But He also became true man—a real flesh-and-blood human being. Fully God and fully man. The eternal Word by whom all things were created took on flesh and received the name Jesus. He was born in the flesh like every human being, complete with human emotions, human frailties, human needs. In His life, therefore we see Him weep and sleep and eat and hurt an

Christmas Joy

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"Christmas Joy" Click here to listen to this sermon.  

The Gloria in Excelsis

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"The Adoration of the Shepherds" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon.   

The Salutation: The Lord Is with You

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"Annunciation" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon.  
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  Click here to listen to this sermon. "King David at Prayer" by Rembrandt

Fish Stories: A Sermon for the Funeral of Gary Vos

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"The Miraculous Draught of Fishes" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. Leann, Toby, Shane, family, a

Agnus Dei

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  Click here to listen to this sermon.

Are You Ready for the Coming of the Lord?

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Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! “Are you ready?” “Ready for what?” “Are you ready for the coming of the Lord?” “Sure. The tree’s decorated. The Christmas cards are ready. Most of the gifts are wrapped. The stockings are hung by the chimney with care. I’m ready.” “No, I’m not talking about getting ready for Christmas. That coming of the Lord was over 2,000 years ago. If you’re still trying to get ready for Jesus’ coming as a little baby in the manger in Bethlehem, you’re really late! I’m talking about the Lord’s Second Coming. Are you ready?” John the Baptist told people how to get ready—through repentance and Baptism. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, St. Paul gives further instructions: “ Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is