Luke 2:8-14; Isaiah 9:2-7 EXORDIUM: Christ is born! Let us glorify him! Today is the festival of the Nativity of Our Lord. It recalls the day in Bethlehem, so many centuries ago, when God’s Son entered into this world, and set out on his life’s journey as humanity’s Savior. God’s Son had, of course, been…
One of the lessons that we will read in tomorrow’s Christmas Day service, from the Prophet Isaiah, says this: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” And on Epiphany, which is sometimes called the…
Matthew 11:2-15 John the Baptist was a prophet – and even more than a prophet. So says Jesus, in today’s text from St. Matthew’s Gospel. He was the immediate forerunner of the Messiah, preparing the people of Israel for his arrival. He called them to repentance, and administered to them a baptism of repentance for…
Luke 21:5-36 In today’s Gospel from St. Luke, Jesus tells his disciples about the future. And I’m sure that they are listening very attentively. There is a built-in curiosity in all of us about what the future holds. This arises in part because of the innate sinful desire that we all have – inherited from…
Psalm 118:26 Today we are entering the season of Advent. The word “advent” comes from the Latin language, and means “coming.” It refers to the coming of Christ. On the first Palm Sunday, which we heard about in today’s Gospel from St. Matthew, one of the exclamations that the crowds called out to Jesus as…