A Famine Not of Bread

"The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon .  And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Luke 2:22-23). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Purified and redeemed. That is our theme for today. Two important words of Law from the Old Testament and two important words of Gospel from the New Testament. Purified and redeemed. In our Epistle, St. Paul tells us that at a specific and appropriate time in human history, God acted to fulfill His eternal saving purpose: “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the Law, to re...

Click here to listen to this sermon. Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build Me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for My dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?” ‘Now, therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from follo...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3). Elaine, Randy, Rick, Shari, and other family and friends of Ronnie: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Perhaps you’re sensing a theme. Yes, it is peace. When we finish this service today, I would like you to take with you peace, the perfect peace of God. The hymn that we just sang, “When Peace Like a River,” counsels contentment at all times, even in the face of trials, suffering, and death! The hymn explains why: Jesus has borne the soul’s sin on the cross and will return to be with His own. The first stanza reminds the soul that God has taught it to say, “It is well” in all circumstances, using an image from Isaiah’s description of the Messiah’s blessing of Zion (Isaiah 66:12), with peace overflowing “like a river.” Shalom , translated as “peace” here, is more than just a lack of conflict; it is health, ...

Click here to listen to this sermon. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord ’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord , that He may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations…” I will greatly rejoice in the Lord ; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousn...

"St. John the Baptist Sees Jesus from Afar" by   James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send My messenger before your face, who will prepare Your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight,’” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes H e who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but H e will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:1-8). Grace to you and...

Click here to listen to this sermon. “Oh that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Your presence—as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil—to make Your name known to Your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things that we did not look for, You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence” (Isaiah 64:1-3). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! With the First Sunday of Advent, we begin a new Church Year. At the same time, we prepare for the celebration of the Festival of the Holy Nativity—the birth of Christ on that first Christmas Day. In our Gospel, we heard the account of our Lord’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. This is how the Church begins each year. We stand between our Lord’s first coming and wait for His second coming at the end of time. We wait and live by faith, not by sight. Our faith is nourished and made certain as we r...