June 16, 2013
Duration: 13 mins 57 secs
In this Sunday's Gospel two people are contrasted. One is full of gratitude that is extravagantly expressed. The other is by outward appearances living a good life. He is likely a pillar of the local community who has Jesus over for a meal. He is not an evil person. He seems like an ordinary kind of guy. Not mean, a bit of a skeptic towards Jesus, but not a bad person. Just not forgiven. Ouch.
Gratitude is the response to forgiveness and leads to loving behaviors.
June 09, 2013
Duration: 14 mins 38 secs
Hope changes our grief to sorrow, and our fear to awe. In this Sunday's Gospel Jesus raises a young man from the dead and restores him to his grieving mother. The witnesses are filled with fear and praise God. That word fear is a funny one. We could also translate it as awe, as some translations do. The reason for the different translations is that real awe is very similar to real fear. Our hearts race, our blood pressure spikes, etc... In contemporary usage there is nothing awesome about the word awe. Real awe leaves a mark on us. It changes us and leaves us with an indelible memory.
June 02, 2013
Duration: 18 mins 26 secs
A Centurion asks Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus agrees and offers to come. The Centurion politely refuses and says that Jesus' order is enough, as a man under authority he understands that commands are to be followed. Jesus marvel's at his faith. So should we.
May 26, 2013
Duration: 30 mins 34 secs
We experience God in marvelous and mysterious ways. God's ways are not our ways though and every attempt to explain God as both One and Trinity inevitably fall short of the true glory of God. This Sunday Fr. Ed will most assuredly not attempt to explain the Trinity. In his great work "On The Trinity", St. Augustine writes "If you deny the trinity you lose your soul, if you try to explain the trinity you shall lose your mind."
This Sunday Fr. Ed will preach on ways the Holy Spirit leads and guides us. Much, much safer territory!
May 19, 2013
Duration: 12 mins 50 secs
Pentecost was one of the annual feasts celebrated throughout Israel during Jesus' earthly ministry. In the Qumran Community and perhaps elsewhere in Israel Pentecost was the celebration of the events at Mt. Sinai. At Mt. Sinai, God came down and dwelt among the People of Israel. This Sunday we remember and celebrate the first Pentecost after Jesus' Resurrection and Ascension.
May 12, 2013
Jesus appeared to many people in Jerusalem in the weeks following his resurrection. Following these physical appearances Jesus ascended into heaven. Just as Jesus had taken on flesh to dwell among us, he returned to heaven and to His Heavenly Father. The ultimate homecoming.
We rejoice with Angels the good news of Jesus' triumphal return to heaven even as we reflect on the very important question the Angels asked Jesus' disciples.
May 05, 2013
Jesus promised us that when two or three are gathered in his name he would be with us. This is true. Sometimes we don't experience his presence, and other times we are intensely aware of God's abiding presence as we experience the activity of the Holy Spirit or a sense of peaceful abiding in God's presence.
April 28, 2013
Love one another, Jesus commands, in this sermon we are challenged to pray for one another, share our lives with one another and come together to worship.
April 21, 2013
In this weeks Gospel Jesus has a conversation with people who just don't understand who he is. If they did they would live life differently. This raises a question for us: are we living like we believe? The enemy rejoices when we live like we believe in part. This Sunday we will remember what Jesus promises to those who believe and follow. Together we will try to live more fully Christian lives.
April 14, 2013
Jesus calls us to be fishers of men, to reach and care for his sheep.
