Holy Words from Holy Cross

In 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic is the center of our focus.  What good amid this is the Easter proclamation?

When faced with a choice, why did the crowd ask for the release of a murderer rather than a man who raised the dead and taught the love of neighbor?  Would we do otherwise?

If God is all-powerful and all good, why does He permit suffering and evil in the world.  It is an important question that philosophers and theologians have largely answered to their satisfaction, but it still afflicts us... especially if we aren't familiar with those disciplines.  Let's explore this topic together in the light of God's Word. The video referenced in this sermon can...

What does it mean to have a god?  How we answer that question will tell us a lot about our relationship with Jesus, even if we have professed Christianity for any years.  How do we answer the question?  Let's find out together...

Why do you come to worship?  Do you encounter Christ when you come? If not, why not?  John's Gospel story gives us some clues.

How long do you give someone in your life to fulfill a promise before you assume they never intend to do so?  In his second letter, Peter says, "the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness," but at times it feels like He is.  How do we have hope that God will accomplish His purposes, even when the process seems painfully slow?

How does evil work?  How do we become what we despise and engage in what we deplore.  "Temptation" is a word used by advertisers to draw us in... how do we learn to see it as what it is and resist it?  Jesus teaches us today.

That people should be free to worship--or not worship--God according to their conscience is not an Enlightenment idea... it has its roots in the teachings of Christ.  As Lent begins, we are called in conscience back to the living God.

We have all had experiences that have forever changed us.  How did the Transfiguration of Jesus change Peter?  How should it change us?

"That depends on your interpretation."  Have you ever heard this?  So much of what we read in the Bible seems unclear or open to a broad range of interpretation.  In His "Sermon on the Mount," Jesus takes pains to make clear much of what we might misinterpret.

How are we to have righteousness exceeding that of even some of the most pious and religious people who have ever lived?  What is Jesus really asking of us?

Most religious visions instruct us to obey some law, god, or set of principles in order to live a blessed life.  As Jesus begins his most famous sermon, He begins by blessing those who hear Him, demonstrating that Kingdom who arrival He is announcing operates in a different way.

Our picture of fishing is someone sitting peacefully, apart from the hustle and bustle of life... alone.  But that is not how people fished in Jesus' day.  What does this mean for our understanding of Jesus' call to be "fishers of men?"

All of us are seeking something; it gets us out of bed in the morning and motivates us all day long in the things we do.  What are you seeking?  If you found it, would it satisfy you?

Jesus' ministry made some things clear for His followers, but others remain shrouded in mystery; this is a good thing, for it leads us to contemplate Christ more deeply.  Jesus' baptism is one of the most misunderstood events in His ministry.  What was its meaning?  What does it mean for us?

To what does the Lord call us?  What is our purpose here and now?  Deacon Michael explores this topic as we enter a new decade.

What is the heart of our celebration on Christmas?  As beautiful as the Christ child is, what does His appearance mean for us?  How does this change anything at all for us?

When must we trust God?  How do we know when we are hearing God clearly?  Deacon Michael recounts a very personal history that helps us understand this as we prepare to receive the Christ child.

The message from today's readings is "be prepared."  But prepared for what?  How should we be prepared?  The season of Advent reminds us of the nature of the most important preparation we undertake in this life.

"If you don't toot your own horn, nobody will toot it for you."  This bit of conventional wisdom must have passed Jesus by, for He was always humble.  In fact, on this Christ the King Sunday, we remember Jesus' most abject moment of humiliation, His crucifixion.  When we can look at the crucified Jesus and see God, only then are we beginning to truly understand God.

"The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance."  These words of Irish lawyer and politician John Philpot Curran are familiar to most Americans because of how they were used by abolitionists to help get rid of the institution of slavery.  But there are more ways to be enslaved than to wear physical chains.  Christians treasure the freedom we have in Christ,...

On Veterans' Day we honor the sacrifices of the men and women of our armed forces.  Sacrifice is a central theme of the Christian faith and an indispensable value in all cultures.  What does Jesus teach us about the true nature of sacrifice?

It is blasphemous to even think of Jesus saying something ridiculous, but the Beatitudes--Jesus' pronouncement of blessings over those the world would deem cursed--is just that... unless Jesus is right. Is He?  Listen and decide for yourself.

You cannot get a good answer to a bad question.  What sort of question should we be asking as we hear Jesus teach on this Reformation Sunday?

Of all the stories Jesus tells, the story of the unjust judge causes the most confusion.  What is Jesus trying to teach us through this difficult story?