“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” These familiar words are taken from the farewell discourse of Jesus to his disciples, the night before he was crucified. […]
Good morning. First thought: today’s Gospel reading from John may be one of the most important messages in the Bible on Christian daily living. Second thought: if one wants to think about the application of scripture to life today, it really helps to have an example. So, this morning, I want to talk about seeing […]
What does it mean to follow? To follow means to come after someone, to move behind in the same direction. Have you ever met up with a group of people at one place, and then had to caravan to another venue? This often happens at weddings and out of town events where someone local leads […]
Well, my brothers and sisters, today is my last day with you as your seminarian. As such, this is my last sermon at Holy Cross. And, while there are several good readings to choose from on this occasion, I would be remiss if I left this place without having preached on the book of Revelation. […]
What is it that we humans love more than anything? Bling! I love bling. I think most of us do, even if some do not admit it. We love shiny things, things that sparkle and spark our imagination. Gold and glitter, silver bells, when we celebrate, we decorate with brightness, and color, and bling. We […]
There was a battle raging in the wilderness, but now it has come to the city. And not just any city, but Jerusalem: yeru-shalayim, the City of Peace. If you can remember back to the first Sunday in Lent, all the way back to the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, then you might recall […]
I have heard it said that once you leave home you can never go back. Apparently, my adult children didn’t get the memo! I believe this adage is partly true. You can never go back home without things being different. The act of separating out often triggers clarity as to what issues we own and […]
In looking at the Gospel it begged the question. How smart was Jesus? How intuitive was he? Did the divine in Him know the thoughts and intentions of others? How smart was he? I mean he had the basic education any carpenter would receive. He did not attend a university as many of us have—was […]
There is a battle raging in the wilderness. The temptation of Jesus in our Gospel reading this morning is not merely an assessment of Jesus’ self-control or his spiritual discipline; it is, in fact, the beginning of a war for the allegiance of humankind. The battle raging in the wilderness is between two kingdoms: the […]
Focus: In Christ, we find a new identity, our true identity. We must be ready to see with Christian eyes and love with Christian hearts. We must be ready to participate in what Jesus Christ is doing in the world—to live out the Christian drama. This may require us to let go of, and even […]