A Famine Not of Bread

"Jeremiah Preaching to His Followers" by Gustave Dore Click here to listen to this sermon. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness’” (Jeremiah 33:14-16). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Recent data collected from Barna’s pastor poll indicate that U.S. pastors are currently in crisis and at risk for burnout. Notably, in 2021 alone, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of pastors who are thinking about quitting the ministry entirely. [i] Thirty-eight percent indicate they have considered quitting full-time ministry within the past year. Eve...

"The Gathering of Manna" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:1-3). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and remembrance. A time for reflecting upon the bounteous blessings God has so freely bestowed upon us out of His lavish love...

"The Last Judgment" by Francisco Pacheco Click here to listen to this sermon. [Jesus said:] “In those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven” (Mark 13:24–27). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Trust in the midst of trouble. That’s what our Lord calls us to experience today. In our Gospel reading, Jesus speaks to a few of His disciples about the end of the world and Judgment Day. The vision He offers is frightening, unsettling. Nature breaks apart. The sun and the moon no longer give light. The stars tumble from the heavens. Everything is falling apart. But trouble brings trust to light an...

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"The Sermon on the Mount" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. The Beatitudes are some of the best-known passages of the Bible. We read them at least once each year for All Saints’ Day and every third year during Epiphany. There’s a good chance you’ve heard more sermons on the Beatitudes than any other text other than the Christmas narrative. So, I’m not going to go into detail about the individual beatitudes this year but will focus on the final beatitude. Jesus said: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! On the Feast of All Saints, the Church remembers those saints who have gone before us. The term “saints” does not mean that they were necessarily more pious and righteous...