A Famine Not of Bread

"The Ordaining of the Twelve" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. [Jesus] went away from there and came to His hometown, and His disciples followed Him. And on the Sabbath He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to Him? How are such mighty works done by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. And He went about among the villages teaching (Mark 6:1-6). Grace to you and peace from God our Father the Lord Jesus Christ! There once was a young Christia...

"Annunciation" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon.  

Click this link to listen to an audio version of this message. Jesus Unrolls the Book in the Synagogue by James Tissot The text for today is our Gospel, Luke 4:16-30, which has already been read. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We have in our assigned readings for today examples of one of the longest sermons in Scripture and the shortest.  Ezra reads the Book of the Law of Moses “from early morning until mid-day”—a period of about six hours.  Jesus reads two verses of Isaiah and preaches a one sentence sermon.  When Ezra finishes, the people bow their heads and worship the Lord with their faces to the ground.  When the people in the synagogue hear all Jesus has to say, they are filled with wrath, rise up, and drive Him out of town, so that they can throw Him down the cliff. It would seem that in ancient days the longer the sermon, the better it is received by the hearers.  But I somehow suspect that would...

Jesus Unrolls the Book in the Synagogue - James Tissot The text for this Sixth Sunday after Pentecost is Mark 6:1-13. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! As usual, St. Mark gets right to business.   He tells us that right after healing the woman of a 12-year hemorrhage and raising a little girl from the dead in Capernaum, Jesus returns “to His hometown” (Nazareth) with His disciples.   It is not a family visit or social call, a chance to renew old acquaintances and catch up with the homefolks.   Jesus returns as a rabbi.   And so that Sabbath, He can be found teaching in the synagogue.   The worshipers all know Him well.   He comes to share the Gospel with them.   But the question is: Are they ready to receive the Gospel from Him?   Or perhaps better stated: “Are they ready to receive Him as the one who embodies the Gospel in His person and ministry?”    Unlike Luke’s ...