John and the Lamb of God, John 1.29-42

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he called him the Lamb of God. What did he mean by this statement? Why did it draw his disciples from himself and to Jesus? How can this strange statement affect us today? Listen now to hear what Father Jeremiah teaches us from this passage.

Image: Behold the Lamb of God, by Lawrence OP (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). No changes made. Statue of John the Baptist pointing to the Lamb of God is located in Fribourg. Image Location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/12028234743

Changed by Jesus' Baptism, Matthew 3.13-17

When Jesus was baptized, he transformed what baptism was about. His baptism was unexpected for John the Baptist, but to do what was necessary and needful, he baptized Jesus and saw the transformation of baptism into something new and even more glorious. This is what we participated in when we were baptized and what we participate in when we remember that baptism.

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay 

How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place!

The birth of Christ meant that God had entered into his own creation and made his dwelling amongst man in a man. Psalm 84 begins with the words, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD God of Hosts.” These words take on a new and deeper meaning in light of the incarnation and connects us also to the coming of the Magi at Epiphany. Listen now to hear Father Jeremiah expand upon this beautiful truth.

Image: From The 'De Grey' Hours, depicting the adoration of the Magi. Author of the book is unknown. [CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication] Image location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:De_Grey_Hours_f.71.r_Adoration_of_the_Magi.png

The Blessings of the Incarnation, John 1.1-18, Galatians 3.21-4.7

Father Jeremiah’s friend, Thomas Haviland-Pabst, preached on this first Sunday after Christmas. He considers the incarnation and birth of Jesus from John 1 and Galatians 3. The incarnation results in beautiful things for us! We are able to be adopted as children and can receive the Holy Spirit within.

The Son of God Incarnate Come!

Jesus Christ is born! The Son of God has come in the flesh! And thus, the whole world is blessed by this coming of God in human flesh that all creation might be redeemed through his work on its behalf.

Image: Nativity Icon in Panagia Evraidos Church (Public Domain). Image location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nativity_Icon_Panagia_Evraidos_Church_19_Century.jpg

Lift Up Your Heads, O Gates, Psalm 24

Psalm 24 is most likely a reflection of the Ark of the Covenant being brought into Jerusalem after David had conquered the city. Yet, it also becomes something more in light of Jesus’ coming into this world and his return at the end. What do we hear in this psalm that can lead us into opening wide the gates when Jesus returns?

Image: Entry of David into Jerusalem, by Frans Francken the Younger. (Public Domain) Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Entry_into_Jerusalem.jpg

Praise and Joy in the King, Psalm 146

In the Psalm, the psalmist is praising Yahweh and recognizing his works of healing for the people. These healings were a part of Jesus’ own ministry here on earth, linking his Messiahship not to just being sent by Yahweh, but to being Yahweh himself in the flesh. This psalm tells us about Yahweh and thus tells us about Jesus and the praise and joy that he can illicit from us when we see him as king.

Image: Christ Preaching (The Hundred Guilder Print) by Rembrandt (Public Domain {{PD-US}}). Image location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RembrandtHeal.jpg

Prayer for the King, Psalm 72

Psalm 72 was a psalm written for Solomon’s inauguration and reign. It is a prayer for the blessing of his reign, but through his failures, it becomes a prophecy of the greater Son of David who would come to rule over all of creation. We see once again, how the psalms have layers that point forward to Jesus Christ in his coming to redeem his people. Listen now to Father Jeremiah explain these connections and apply it to us today.

Image: Christus Pantocrator, from Cathedral of Cefalù, c. 1130. Photographed by Andreas Wahra. Used under GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.2 and CC BY-SA 3.0

Hope for Us, Sinners, Psalm 122

The Psalms have been known as a prayer book for thousands of years. They were part of the regular Jewish prayer life. These were prayers that Jesus himself prayed and yet, the psalms are about Jesus. All that the psalms are seeking God for, Jesus fulfills. This psalm specifically prays for the peace of Jerusalem and as we think about Jesus praying this very prayer, we know that he was going to become that peace that Jerusalem truly needs.

Image: TU REX GLORIAE CHRISTE, William Earley, photographed by Andreas F. Borchert (CC BY-SA 4.0). Image location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toomyvara_St._Joseph%27s_Church_Window_Tu_Rex_Gloriae_Christe_by_William_Earley_1933_2010_09_08.jpg

The Resurrection of the Universe, Colossians 1.11-24

Jesus’ return in glory means more than just resurrection for his people. Because he was raised from the dead into new life, not only will believers be resurrected into new life, but the entire universe will be purged of all the stain of sin. Listen now to find out about this wonderful news from Father Jeremiah.

Image: Icon of Second Coming, Anonymous, Greece [Public domain] Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Icon_second_coming.jpg

The End, Then and Now, Luke 21.5-19

What is the end of the world all about in Luke 21? We have many assumptions about his passage, but the reality is that it is simply what it is: a prophecy about the coming destruction of Jerusalem and what will happen to the disciples before that. How does this affect us today? Is there something we can learn about what Jesus promises the disciples? Can we depend upon Jesus in the same way as they did during their time of testing? Listen now to find out more from Father Jeremiah.

Image: Douce Apocalypse - Bodleian Ms180, Anonymous (Public Domain). Image Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Douce_Apocalypse_-_Bodleian_Ms180_-_p.039_Christ_proclaimed_by_the_elders.jpg

What We are is not what We will be, Luke 20.27-38

What does resurrection have to do with marriage? In today’s Gospel from St. Luke, Jesus answers the quandary of the Sadducees. What else might be different if marriage isn’t part of the resurrection? Listen now to find out more.

Image: Resurrection of the Flesh, Luca Signorelli. Public Domain. Image location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Signorelli_Resurrection.jpg

To Make Them Saints, Luke 19.1-10

When Jesus came to Jericho, no one would have expected him to stay with the man Zacchaeus. And yet Jesus does. Why? Because Jesus came to seek and save the lost. And Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus changes him completely. What does this mean for us today?

Image: A an etching by Jan Luyken from the Phillip Medhurst Collection of Bible illustrations housed at Belgrave Hall, Leicester, England. Photo taken by: Philip De Vere (Phillip Medhurst [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)])

Repentance through Crushing, Jeremiah 14, Luke 18.9-14

As we wrestle with God telling Jeremiah that he will not listen to his people in Jeremiah 14, we hear the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. What is the relationship between these two accounts in the Bible? How does repentance relate to both? Where do we fall when it comes to the Pharisee and the tax collector? Here’s a hint: If you’re proud that you are a tax collector, you’re really a Pharisee.

image: Pharisee and the Tax Collector, posted by WELS MLP, (Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). Image Location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/49102781@N03/4500062279/in/photostream/

Dislocated by Prayer, Genesis 32.3-30, Luke 18.1-18

On the night before Jacob was to meet with Esau, a stranger started a wrestling match with him. In our Gospel lesson, Jesus tells a parable about a persistent widow. What do these two stories have to do with one another? What do we learn about prayer from these things? How does God change everything about us as we pray? Father Jeremiah works through this and helps us to see how prayer is meant to dislocate us and renew our faith in Jesus.

Image: Woodcut for "Die Bibel in Bildern", 1860 by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld [Public domain]. Image Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld_Bibel_in_Bildern_1860_036.png

Duty for an Unworthy Servant, Luke 17.5-10

“When you have done all that you were commanded, say ‘We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty,’” says Jesus to his Apostles. What does this mean for them, those who would carry the Gospel to the known world and what does that mean for us today. Listen as Father Jeremiah explores the need for grace as we do all that Jesus calls us to in the kingdom work he gives to us.

Image: Der Landmann, by Eugène Burnand [Public Domain]. Image Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eugene_Burnand_-_Der_Landmann.jpg

Stewardship, Discipleship, and Vocation, Luke 16.19-31

After telling the parable of the Shrewd Steward, Jesus then tells a story about a rich man and Lazarus. With this story Jesus brings together the ideas of stewardship in regard to both relationships and possessions. We soon discover that stewardship, discipleship, and vocation are really interlocked into one another and expressions of one another in various ways.

Image: Meister des Codex Aureus Epternacensis [Public domain] Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Meister_des_Codex_Aureus_Epternacensis_001.jpg

Our True Steward, Luke 16.1-13

Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a crooked and unjust steward and the master in the story commends him for being shrewd. What does this mean exactly? What underlies the shrewd act on the part of the steward? How does this all relate to Jesus? These questions are considered as Father Jeremiah takes us through this parable and reveals to us the True Steward that we need.

Image by: Phillip Medhurst [FAL], An etching by Jan Luyken illustrating Luke 16:1-9 in the Bowyer Bible, Bolton, England. Located at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Teachings_of_Jesus_31_of_40._parable_of_the_unjust_steward._Jan_Luyken_etching._Bowyer_Bible.gif

Seeking the Lost, Luke 15.1-10

Father Jeremiah looks at Jesus’ parable of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin and connects them to the other readings of Scripture for today found in Exodus 32.1, 7-14 and 1 Timothy 1.12-17. All of these passages deal with Jesus’ pursuit of his people despite their desire to get lost in the wilderness of sin. He continually goes after us and brings us back to himself.

image: From Stories of Old or Bible Narratives… by Hadley, Caroline. [from old catalog] [No restrictions]. Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stories_of_old_or_Bible_narratives_(1863)_(14579310939).jpg

Discipleship: Loving, Acting, Thinking, Luke 14.25-33

Discipleship is all over the Bible. Too often though we think of it as gaining more and more knowledge without considering other changes that should happen in our lives and our very being because of the discipleship. Father Jeremiah considers this and the order that discipleship takes in the changes that it makes.

Image: Photo by MarcFrasere1958 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)] Found at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Luke%27s_-_The_Bombed_Out_Church_-_Liverpool.JPG