Easter Day – Matthew 27:62 – 28:15 Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Today is the high festival of the Resurrection of Our Lord. To be sure, Easter is but one day in the church year. But it is the day that gives meaning to every other day. If the resurrection of Jesus had…
Sermon Text: Matthew 21:9-11 Before his arrival at Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday, Jesus – who was known to be a descendant of the royal family of Israel – had also developed a reputation as an awe-inspiring wonder-worker. He had been very compassionate and generous in performing miracles for needy people. The hungry had…
Matthew 15:21-28 We think of Jesus as a Savior who loves us and accepts us, and who takes a very personal interest in each one of us. And we think of him as a Savior who treats everyone in this way – without the bigotries that so often taint us, and the way we feel…
Matthew 17:1-9 “It is good for us to be here.” These were the words of Peter, recorded in today’s Gospel from St. Matthew, as he spoke on behalf of himself, James, and John, on the mount of transfiguration. Of course, it could only be a good thing for them to be there, because the Lord…
Matthew 8:1-13 The ministry of Jesus was marked by many physical healings, which he performed for those who were sick, lame, blind, deaf, or even dead. Usually, when he healed someone, he spoke to and over that person, and also touched the person. St. Luke informs us of an earlier time when Jesus was in…
Baptism of Our Lord – Matthew 3:13-17 In his baptism, Jesus became, in a very clear and decisive way, the friend and companion of sinners. The baptism that John the Baptist had been sent by the Lord to administer, and that Jesus also wished to receive, was a baptism for sinners. But of course, Jesus…
Sermon Matthew 11:2-11
Matthew 25:1-13 The full meaning of some of the Lord’s parables is not immediately clear to us. Jesus’ parables were spoken to a first-century Jewish audience. He often told stories that drew on certain unique customs of first-century Jewish people that are not familiar to us today. Today’s parable from St. Matthew, about the ten…
Matthew 25:31-46 If you have ever had the occasion to visit a national cemetery, you will notice that almost all the grave markers are ornamented with some kind of religious symbol. The size and style of the markers themselves are uniform and the same, but there is quite a diversity to be found in the religious symbols on those markers. This…
Sermon Text: Matthew 5:1-12 I remember a time a few years ago, while I was watching an episode of the CSI television program, when I heard this line, spoken by a criminal character on the show, explaining why he had perpetrated the notorious “signature” crime that he had committed: “I want something of me to…