Jesus Revealed: Our Confession, His Absolution, Luke 5.1-11

Jesus was teaching by the seashore and goes out on a boat in order to better teach the crowds. Afterwards, he asks Peter to go out and cast his nets in the middle of the day. When Peter catches more fish than his nets can handle, he turns to Jesus and confesses his sinfulness. What does Jesus do? What happens here changes the course of Peter’s life and it can change yours too. Listen to find out how Jesus works through our confession and His absolution.

Image: Maestà, Altarretabel des Sieneser Doms, Rückseite, Predella mit Szenen zur Versuchung Christi und Wundertaten, Szene: Die Berufung der Apostel Petrus und Andreas, Duccio di Buoninsegna [Public domain] Image Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Duccio_di_Buoninsegna_036.jpg

Four Pastoral and Educational Affirmations: Holy Communion

We continue our study of the ACNA-NALC Four Pastoral and Education Affirmations. We consider our agreement upon how we understand Holy Communion, also known as the Eucharist and the Lord’s Supper. Father Jeremiah and Pastor Jason lead us through the study explaining what God is doing in our midst when we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the bread and wine.

Jesus Revealed: Knowing Where You Are, Luke 4.21-32

The people of Nazareth rejected Jesus’ preaching because they refused to understand where they were. They couldn’t see just what the Messiah was going to do and so became infuriated with him. Do you know where you are in this life? Do you know what you truly need? Can you receive Jesus as he truly is by seeing where you truly are?

Image: Christ Preaching, Rembrandt [Public domain]. Image location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_van_Rijn_-_Christ_Preaching_(The_Hundred_Guilder_Print)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

Four Pastoral and Educational Affirmations: Baptism

Father Jeremiah, along with the pastors of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Brack and Jason, walked through the first study of the Four Pastoral and Educational Affirmations of the ACNA and NALC. In this teaching they talk about the history, importance, and application of baptism. Our two church bodies are from two different denominational traditions and yet can find common ground on how we understand baptism. Find out how we agree on this most important doctrine of the church.

Jesus Revealed: Year of Jubilee, Luke 4.14-21

When Jesus went into Nazareth after his baptism, he was full of the Holy Spirit and he went to the synagogue. He was the reader and preacher that day. What is the meaning of his words that day? What does it mean for the Messiah to proclaim the year of the Lord? How do we respond to the words of Scripture before our eyes and ears? Listen today to find out more about this passage from Luke 4.

Image: Year of Jubilee, from the book The story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Told in simple language adapted to all ages, but especially to the young, author unknown. Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Year_of_Jubilee.jpg

Jesus Revealed: Wine for Newness, John 2.1-11

What does water turned into wine have to do with the great marriage feast of the Lamb? What does Jesus being at a wedding reveal about marriage? Is there something about prayer to be learned from the wedding at Cana? These questions are dealt with this week as we consider Jesus revealed through the wine for newness.

Image: Unknown [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Marriage_at_Cana_-_Decani.jpg

The Coming of the Spirit in Baptism, Luke 3.15-22

Jesus changes the very nature of John's baptism by being baptized and receiving the Holy Spirit. Why does this matter? How does it affect us today?

Image: anonimoius [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Star that Leads, Matthew 2.1-12

The wise men came searching for the King of the Jews by following a star. That star led them to the Christ child and they worshiped him recognizing something more to this little one than many others who would encounter him in the future. What does all of this mean? How are we led to Christ? What are the means by which God draws us to himself through Jesus?

Image: St Mary Major; 13th century mosaic: Adoration of the Magi, by Franciscan, Jacopo Torriti.

Incarnation and Salvation, John 1.1-18

What is the true gift that humanity needs? It needs salvation to come down from God. It needs God to provide a way for our restoration because we can’t do it ourselves. In the first chapter of the Gospel of St. John, we hear about how God became man and that he became man that we might know God the Father through Jesus his Son. Listen now to find out more from Father Jeremiah

Image: Image from Codex Alexanrinus [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons. Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Codex_Alexandrinus_J_1,1-7.PNG

God Came Down at Christmas: Born that We might be Saved, Luke 1.1-20

At Christmas Eve, we so often hear about Jesus being born in Bethlehem and the angels and the shepherds. What is the importance of this event? Why is it so important that we continue to read about it and hear about it 2000 years later? God Came Down at Christmas truly did happen and we hear about it now!

Image: The Adoration of the Shepherds, Ivan Honchar Museum [Public domain]. Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shepherds_Bow_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

God Came Down at Christmas: Transforming Love, Micah 5:2-5a

Micah has promised the coming of a ruler over Israel who will be born in the insignificant town of Bethlehem. This ruler will bring peace and comfort to God’s people. All of it is out of God’s great love for his people.

Image: Dr Mary Gillham Archive Project [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Located at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Berber_shepherd_at_10,000%27_clears_flock._Near_Fes_(23903400918).jpg

God Came Down at Christmas-Joyous Rejoicing, Zephaniah 3.14-20

How do we come to know joy? Why do we rejoice? The prophet Zephaniah called the people of God to rejoice because God was going to remove the judgements against them and then God himself would rejoice over his people. How does God accomplish this in our lives? What do we do when we come face to face with God’s rejoicing over us?

Image: The Ghent Altarpiece: Singing Angels, Jan van Eyck [Public domain]. Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jan_van_Eyck_-_The_Ghent_Altarpiece_-_Singing_Angels_(detail)_-_WGA07642.jpg

God Came Down at Christmas-Refining Fire of Peace, Malachi 3:1-5

Though we didn’t meet for church on Sunday due to inclement weather, Father Jeremiah recorded his sermon for the 2nd Sunday of Advent. How is it that we receive peace with God the Father? How does Jesus’ sanctifying of us relate to the peace that we receive by his coming? Father Jeremiah explores these questions and helps us all draw near to Jesus as our peace.

Image: By Neelaka, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) Located at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/33925187@N00/5102225210

God Came Down at Christmas-Reason for Hope, Zech 14.1-9

During Advent we prepare for God coming to us through Jesus his Son. We begin a new series for Advent called: God Came Down at Christmas. In this first sermon, Father Jeremiah looks at Zechariah 14 and connects it to the coming of Christ and to our lives now. Listen now to find out more!

Image: UnknownUnknown author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1099_Siege_of_Jerusalem.jpg

Christ the Suffering King, John 18.33-37

What kind of king is Jesus? How is he different from all the rest of the kings and rulers of the world? On this last Sunday of the Church Year, Christ the King Sunday, find out what makes Jesus stand out when compared to all others.

Image: Christ before Pilate Again. Duccio di Buoninsegna [Public domain] Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Duccio_di_Buoninsegna_-_Christ_Before_Pilate_Again_-_WGA06805.jpg

It's the End of the World, Mark 13.14-23

It’s the end of the World and the end of the age. How does this relate to us today? Jesus tells his disciples about judgment in Mark 13 and it’s coming to Jerusalem. We stand in awe in light of how this prophecy came to pass.

Image by: Jan van Eyck [Public domain]; Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Van_Eyck_-_The_Crucifixion;_The_Last_Judgment.jpg

Two Widows, a Prophet, and the High Priest, Mark 12.38-44

What do two widows, a prophet, and a high priest tell us about faith? How does the work of Christ undergird all of our responses to that very work? Who are the main characters in these passages from 1 Kings, Hebrews, and the Gospel of Mark? Listen now to hear what Father Jeremiah is teaching about the work of Jesus on our behalf.

Image from: Internet Archive Book Images [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons. Located at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Bible_panorama,_or_The_Holy_Scriptures_in_picture_and_story_(1891)_(14598328380).jpg

What Do You Want Me to Do? Mark 10.46-52

The question echoes around us as we listen to St. Mark recount to us the story of Bartimaeus’ blindness. “What do you want me to do? We’ve heard it before. How do you answer it?

Image: Christ Giving Sight to Bartimaeus, William Blake [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Death by Serving, Mark 10.35-45

Once again, the disciples are worried about being the greatest amongst one another in the kingdom. Once again, Jesus teaches his disciples about the nature of servanthood and what his calling is in light of being sent by the Father. What does that mean for us today? Listen now to find out more.

Image: Le Christ rencontrant la femme et les fils de Zébédée, Paolo Veronese [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Good isn't Good Enough, Mark 10.17-31

What can we do to inherit salvation? That’s the question of the rich young man in St. Mark’s Gospel today. What does Jesus tell him? Is there compassion in his words or is it harsh law heaped upon the man and us today? How do we respond to Jesus’ call to each of us? Listen now to find out more.

Image: Christ and the Rich, Young Man, by Andrey Mironov [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons. Image found at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_and_the_rich_young_man._A.N._Mironov.jpgIma