Category: Mid-Week
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Fourth Sunday of Lent (Lent 4A) Readings: Isaiah 42:14-21 | Ephesians 5:8-14 | John 9:1-41 Text: John 9:1-41 Baptism of Clint, son, and Confirmation of Seth, father There are times we do not understand God’s ways. Nevertheless, we can be certain that He desires the blind to see, the enslaved to be freed, the deaf to hear. Today’s Gospel offers spiritual…
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Third Sunday in Lent (Lent 3A) Readings: Exodus 17:1-7 | Romans 5:1-8 | John 4:5-30, 39-42 Text: John 4:5-26 Ignorance about God is a serious problem. Now, very few people would actually say they don’t know much about God. More common is the idea that we know enough about God to get by. You know, as much as country music songs…
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Second Sunday in Lent (Lent 2A) Readings: Genesis 12:1-9 | Romans 4:1-8, 13-17 | John 3:1-17 Text: John 3:1-17 “For God so loved the world.,.,” (you know it, finish it!) This passage contains one of the most beloved verses in the Bible, the Gospel in a nutshell. Let’s go deeper, though. Hearing these words of Jesus in context opens us up…
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First Sunday in Lent (Lent 1A) Readings: Genesis 3:1-21 | Romans 5:12-19 | Matthew 4:1-11 Text: Genesis 3:1-21 Often, we try to get to the bottom of how things went so wrong: ~ Unexpected death of loved ones~ Cruelty toward other people~ Landslides, volcanoes, earthquakes, and other disasters Maybe something like this is what brought us to seek help by walking…
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The Nativity of Our Lord Readings: Isaiah 52:7-10 | Hebrews 1:1-12 | John 1:1-18 Text: Isaiah 52:7-10 We’ve become accustomed to associating this text with the Gospel because of St. Paul’s quoting it in Romans 10: 13For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”14How then will they call on him in whom they have not…
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Eve of the Nativity of Our Lord ~ Lessons and Carols ~ Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14 | 1 John 4:7-16 | Luke 2:1-20 Text: 1 John 4:7-16 So much of Christmas tradition has become alienated from what this holy day actually commemorates. Some of it comes from past Christian influence, like Paradise Trees laden with fruit and the Eucharist’s food of immortality, like…
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Fourth Sunday in Advent (Advent 4A) Readings: Isaiah 7:10-17 | Romans 1:1-7 | Matthew 1:18-25 Text: Matthew 1:18-25 The generation of Jesus Christ. What’s in the word generation? It depends upon those who came before it. No matter who our parents are or if they were the ones who raised us, they handed down various things to us—hereditary traits, perhaps even…
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Third Sunday of Advent Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10 | James 5:7-11 | Matthew 11:2-15 Text: Matthew 11:2-15 The theme for this Sunday is JOY – Historically the first word heard was “Gaudete!” (Latin for Rejoice) – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4) But in the Gospel we have a picture of persecution and uncertainty. …
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Second Sunday in Advent Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10 | Romans 15:4-13 | Matthew 3:1-12 Text: Matthew 3:1-12 Saint John the Baptizer’s appearance is jarring. There’s no getting comfortable around a man who wears camel fur and eats nothing but bugs and honey. But why? John is uncomfortable because of what his appearance brings up combined with what he preaches. He…
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First Sunday in Advent Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5 | Romans 13:(8-10) 11-14 | Matthew 21:1-11 Text: Matthew 21:1-11 This time of looking forward to Christmas is called Advent (from the Latin for arrival). It’s called that because it’s about Jesus’ coming. He came in lowliness in the manger at Bethlehem, just as was promised. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and…