He Knows Even the Sparrows, Matthew 10:16-33

Jesus continues teaching his disciples about the what will happen as they go out to make the kingdom known. They will face various kinds of persecution because of the name of Jesus. Yet, despite all of that, they should not fear man because the Father in heaven knows when even a sparrow falls and we are all of greater value than they are before God. And so, we are to know that because Jesus has dealt with our sin, we are wholly known by the Father and can go forward without fear into the world.

Image: 4112008, by Jimpg2_2015, licensed under: CC BY-SA 2.0 (no changes made). Image location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9146740@N03/3100062680

One Act of Righteousness, Matthew 4:1-11, Romans 5:12-21

St. Paul speaks of the one act of righteousness of Jesus in his epistle to the Romans. What does this act encompass? Is it only a reference to the crucifixion or is there a an underlying reality within the one act of Jesus? What does his temptation have to do with this? So many questions flowing from the texts for this First Sunday in Lent and Father Jeremiah examines them in this sermon that considers the one act of righteousness.

Image: Temptation of Christ, 12th century mosaic in basilica di San Marco, anonimus, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Christ versus Adam, Romans 5:12-21

St. Paul continues his explanation of our salvation. In this passage he reveals how Adam’s sin has had affected all humanity, but then how Jesus has more than overcome that affect of Adam. To find out more, listen to Father Jeremiah’s sermon now.

Image:  Photo taken by Alberto Fernandez Fernandez, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 (no changes made). Glory of the Newborn Christ, by Daniel Gran, ceiling painting in St. Anne’s Church, Vienna.. Image Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glory_of_the_New_born_Christ_-_Annakirche_Vienna.jpg

Present Hope for the Future Lies in the Past, Romans 5.1-11

In chapter 5 of Romans, St. Paul begins by declaring that we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. He goes on to list a whole host of other blessings that we have received that all flow out of the same person, Jesus. How does this come about? St. Paul goes on to explain what Jesus has done and when he did it. What he says makes us all realize that our present hope for the future lies in the past.

Image: Photo by Knight Likeness, Hope for the Future… used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (no changes made). Location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/knight_lightness/5489649902

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Beautiful, Matthew 4.1-11, Romans 5.12-21

As Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted, he was going out to do what Adam had failed at doing. Jesus was going out to resist temptation on behalf of his people, so that all who are united to him, might become resisters of temptation as well. Paul explains this in Romans 5, that Jesus has become the second and greater Adam by his act of obedience. Father Jeremiah tells us more in this week’s sermon.

Image: Temptation of Christ by Vasily Surikov, 1872. Public Domain. Location: https://www.wikiart.org/en/vasily-surikov/temptation-of-christ-1872