Category: Mid-Week
-
Fourth Sunday in Advent
~ Rorate Coeli ~ Readings: Deuteronomy 18:15-19 | Philippians 4:4-7 | Luke 1:39-56 Text: Philippians 4:4-7 No doubt this week, we will be hearing the phrase, “Merry Christmas.” Take a moment to think about it: Is this a statement or a command? I mean, what should you do when there’s nothing to be merry about? When…
-
Third Sunday in Advent
~ Gaudete ~ Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11 | 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 | Matthew 11:2-11 Text: Isaiah 40:1-8 It’s important to understand that Isaiah was not preaching at a time of peace in Israel. Not many chapters (chapters 36-37) before this, Isaiah has the job of announcing to the starving, besieged inhabitants of Jerusalem that the Assyrian…
-
Second Sunday of Advent
~ Populus Zion ~ Readings: Malachi 4:1-6 | Romans 15:4-13 | Luke 21:25-36 Text: Luke 21:25-36 The return of Christ is utterly inconvenient. It ruins our plans for the future. It ruins all of our imagining that life will just continue as is has been. Most of all, it completely obliterates our delusion that we…
-
First Sunday in Advent
~ Ad Te Levavi ~ Readings: Jeremiah 23:5-8 | Romans 13:(8-10) 11-14 | Matthew 21:1-9 Text: Matthew 21:1-9 Christ, our Lord, is the promised King who reigns on the throne of David forever. So it is that, as He rode into the City of Peace to be executed as the King of the Jews,…
-
Vigil of Easter
Readings: Genesis 1:1-2:3 | Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13 Exodus 14:10-15:1 | Mark 16:1-8 Text: Jonah 3 In our reserved, sterile minds, we might take these words figuratively. That doesn’t really mean that God’s voice comes out in fire or earthquakes. I’ve never seen the earth melt! Because it’s so far removed from our daily…
-
Palm Sunday
Readings: Philippians 2:5-11 | Matthew 27:11-54 Text: Matthew 27:11-26 It is a blessing to our faith that we meditate on our Lord’s passion yearly. A Christian faith that has a fuzzy view of the historical, fleshly sufferings of Jesus Christ will easily fall for suggestions that the Christian life is just the best of the…
-
Fifth Sunday in Lent (Judica)
Holy Baptism of Mathilda Goehring Readings: Genesis 22:1-14 | Hebrews 9:11-15 | John 8:46-59 Text: Genesis 22:1-14 “God, what in the world are You doing? I can’t handle this! I just got done with the last wrench You threw in the works!” There are times like this, where honestly, we have no idea what our…
-
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Readings: Exodus 16:2-21 | Galatians 4:21-31 | John 6:1-15 Text: John 6:1-15 We began Lent in the wilderness. Jesus is alone and hungry. Then, the Devil comes along and tempts him. Hunger is evil, he seems to say: “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread to feed you in…
-
Third Sunday in Lent (Oculi)
Readings: Exodus 8:16-24 | Ephesians 5:1-9 | Luke 11:14-28 Text: Luke 11:14-28 This time of year, many of us are looking at spring cleaning. As more light comes in the window, the grime on the windows and the dust in the air is harder to turn a blind eye to. The first part of spring…
-
Second Sunday in Lent (Reminiscere)
Readings: Genesis 32:22-32 | 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7 | Matthew 15:21-28 Text: Genesis 32:22-32 One of our world’s favorite questions is to ask, “Where is God?” When the floods rage, where is your God? When the tornadoes touch down, where is your God? When tidal waves destroy, when earthquakes level cities, or people die, where is…