Revelation 11:15-19 In Revelation 11, St. John continues his theme of the destruction of the Old Covenant and the birth of the New Covenant. The Mystery of God has been accomplished (or revealed), as the gospel is preached (Revelation 10:7). What is this Mystery? It is the revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. According to St. Paul, it is the tearing down of the dividing wall between God and man and between Jew and Gentile, and it is God... Read more
Revelation 5 I wish I knew more songs. Actually, I probably know a few thousand (and probably 200 or so just from the Beatles), and at home, I’m always seizing a shard from some song I know and mutating the words weirdly to fit something one of the kids has said. They say to me, “You have a song for everything!” To which I reply, in song, “To everything (turn, turn, turn) Daddy has a song (turn, turn, turn).” But... Read more
2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5 Let’s give thanks to God for His kingdom and His power and His glory revealed in us. Let’s show the world His kingdom and power and glory by leading holy, Spirit-filled, Word-filled lives! Today’s passage is an interesting one because instead of praising the Thessalonians as he has done before, Paul gives thanks to God (verse 13). Specifically, he gives thanks to God because from the beginning God chose the Thessalonians for salvation. Notice that Paul doesn’t... Read more
Romans 8:31-39 These verses at the end of Romans 8 are among the most comforting and calming in all of Scripture. But before we get to what seem like unconditional promises that St. Paul makes on behalf of Jesus Christ, we should look at the larger context of the passage. At the beginning of Romans 8, Paul makes clear that all that he is about to say in this chapter applies to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do... Read more
Acts 1:1-11 Why did Christ ascend into heaven? Out of all the important things Jesus did, it’s one of the few that we recite every week in the Creeds. But Ascension Day itself is often forgotten, sandwiched in on a Thursday (40 days after the Resurrection) and overshadowed by Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. I want you to put yourself in the disciples’ place this morning. Jesus, the Messiah died, but then He was resurrected. You saw Him, and He taught... Read more
1 John 5:5-15 The word “Rogation” means “asking,” or “praying,” and the three Rogation Days (the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week) are traditionally days of special prayer, particularly for God’s blessing on the spring planting and on the land we live in. The sad fact of our existence is that while God created the world good, ever since Adam’s sin we have been at war with it. For this reason, “the world” even came to be known by... Read more
Matthew 6:24-34 “You cannot serve two masters.” You’ve heard the saying, from the old Westerns: “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.” Well, your life ain’t big enough for 2 opposing masters. You cannot serve both God and wealth, and you cannot serve both God and self. So who’s your master? Who are you really serving? You have 3 choices on your menu today. 1. serve self and put faith in self = pride 2. serve wealth... Read more
Matthew 6:5-15 I love antiques and artifacts. I love going to museums and experiencing their artifacts. I feel tangibly closer to dinosaurs or mummies, to van Gogh or Van Eyck, when in a museum. I love old books and how they smell and their sturdy yellow pages and the fact that they connect me with the truth and lives of the past that are still meaningful today. And so I read with fascination the archeological discoveries of the Holy Land. ... Read more
Hebrews 13:17-25 “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Verses 20-21). These verses are an excellent summary of the teaching of the book of Hebrews and... Read more
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Wednesday of the Sunday after the Ascension – Revelation 19:11-16
Revelation 19:11-16 St. John’s Revelation forces me to consider the crucial, age-old question of how to act like a Colossus of Rhodes and straddle the river of living waters that flows from Holy Scripture. On the one side, I have to plant my foot into the 1st century Roman and Jewish world; on the other, I have to plant my foot in my own world in 21st century America. On the one side, I have to look with wonder and... Read more