Preaching among the Palms

Every Sunday we ask God in the prayer of consecration to “grant that, by the merits and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in his blood, we, and all thy whole Church, may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his passion.” What then are the other benefits of Christ's passion? St. Paul in today's epistle reading gives us one answer to this question: Faith in...

Fr. Grady confronts the reality of persecution, first the persecution of the prophet Jeremiah, and then of the disciples of Christ. Nevertheless, Jesus encourages his followers that they should have no fear. Like the disciples, godly fathers are also charged to proclaim the truth of God from the rooftops, though such a proclamation has always and is now likely to provoke persecution.

Today is a turning point in the Gospel of Matthew. Fr. Jeff reads the drama of the Gospel as unfolding along two parallel tracks: on the one hand, it becomes more and more clear who Jesus is; on the other hand, people's reaction to who Jesus is becomes more and more polarized. Jesus sends out the twelve to the twelve tribes of Israel, and he predicts that they will not always be warmly accepte...

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Corpus Christi, which has been a universal commemoration of the real presence of Christ in the sacramental bread and wine since 1264. Fr. Jeff guides us through John chapter 6, which contains numerous scandalous utterances by Jesus, including his assertion that he is the bread that came down from heaven. The language of the mass refers no fewer than three t...

We affirm the reality of the Ascension every week in the Nicene Creed, but the Ascension is probably the most neglected and misunderstood part of the incarnate life of Jesus. Fr. Jeff accounts for how Jesus can be going back to his Father at the Ascension despite having never been separated from his Father. One way to understand this is Thomas Aquinas's idea of the persons of the Trinity being...

The Gospel reading for today features the New Testament's only reference to the Holy Spirit as an "advocate," or literally someone who is called alongside another. Fr. Jeff distinguishes between the ways John uses different terms for the Holy Spirit, and even refers to different works of the Holy Spirit, depending on whether Jesus is teaching publicly about the Spirit or whether he i...

In today's Gospel reading we hear a famous declaration from Our Lord Jesus, who proclaims that he is "the way, the truth, and the life." But what does this mean? Fr. Jeff explains the context, the mood, and the setting of this famous passage in order to clarify in what way Jesus is the way to God, the truth about God, and the life of God.

Fr. Grady honors the Daughters of the King and their history of prayer, service, and evangelism. The readings for today also teach us about prayer, service, and evangelism. The Acts passage talks about how in the first days of the church powerful prayer led to humble service, which in turn led to dynamic and effective evangelism.

Fr. Jeff recalls how a professor at the theological school where he studied used to challenge his students with the question: "When and where was the first Eucharist celebrated?" You can make a convincing argument that it happens on the road to Emmaus, which is the subject of today's Gospel reading from Luke 24. The church today is much like the disciples on the road who encounter Je...

Jesus appears to his disciples after his resurrection and gives them parting commands and gifts that will help them fulfill his commands. Thomas misses out on the first encounter and claims he will not believe unless he can probe the risen Lord's bodily wounds. Fr. Jeff accounts for doubt as being potentially related to Thomas's moniker: the Twin. To doubt is not to be less than sure; to doubt is...

Fr. Grady recapitulates the events of Holy Week and reminds us how differently Jesus died from the thieves with whom he was crucified and how he alone rose from the dead, achieving victory over sin and death. The disorder of the previous several days has given way to a totally new order and new reality for all who believe in the risen one.

Fr. Jeff breaks down the Gospel of Matthew's resurrection appearance of Jesus to the two Marys into two simple ideas: see and go. Throughout this passage, again and again, the command to see and go is repeated, until the very end of the chapter, when Jesus commands his disciples to go to all nations baptizing the converted and see that he will be with them always, even unto the end of the age.

Today we meditate on the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Fr. Jeff explains that "passion" in Latin means "suffering" and is also the root word of our term "passive." While Jesus suffers of course on the cross, he is by no means passive. Christ is in complete control of what happens to him this day. He knows what is to happen to him, he comes forward on his own to me...

Maundy Thursday commemorates the institution of Christ's new commandment, or "mandatum" in Latin, to love one another as Christ has loved us. That love is demonstrated by Christ when he washes the feet of his disciples. John's Gospel tells us that "having loved his own in the world, he loved them to the end." But the foot-washing is not the end, as Jesus's exchange...

Palm Sunday celebrates what is often called the "triumphal entry" of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. But what is a triumphal entry, and how did it function in the world of Ancient Rome? Fr. Jeff explains how Jesus thoughtfully subverts this pagan show of ostentatious power, showing just what kind of king he really is: the king who will triumph over not his earthly enemies but sin and d...

In today's Gospel Jesus restores the sight of a man who was born blind. Fr. Grady explains how the biblical tradition points toward the action of God in the world to bring light to the world and illumination to the world.

Today's long reading from John 4 recounts the conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob. Their exchange of questions guides three transitions: from the humanity to the divinity of Jesus; from earthly thirst to spiritual thirst; and from the past worship of the ancestral "fathers" to the future worship of the Father. Fr. Jeff traces out the themes and expla...

In the third chapter of John's Gospel we meet Nicodemus, a secret follower of Jesus. In their conversation Jesus makes many mysterious pronouncements, including arguably the most famous verse in the Bible: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." Fr. Jeff explains who Nicodemus is, how t...

Fr. Grady discusses the temptation of Christ and how when the devil is confounded angels attend Jesus in the wilderness. This is still true for us today when by the power of the Word of God evil is routed help from heaven arrives. It was also powerfully true for Absalom Jones, abolitionist and the first African American to be ordained in the Episcopal Church in 1802.

Canon Lester presents us with four questions and one answer: Each is to do with stewardship, because today we bless the pledges collected by the parish for the upcoming year. Our giving is meant to be a response to God's gifts to us. The Bible teaches that everything is God's in the first place, and we give to him what is already his own. We give out of gratitude, not guilt or duty.

In today's reading from Matthew Jesus tells his disciples they are the salt of the earth, and he warns them that if salt loses its flavor it is good for nothing. But he literally says salt is worthless if it becomes foolish. Fr. Jeff explains what the ancient connection is between having flavor and being wise. This also explains why when we baptize a baby, as we do today, we put the "salt...

The celebrated Beatitudes of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew proclaim radical truths about who is "blessed." But what does it mean to be blessed? Hebrew, Greek, and Latin all use two different words that we translate as "blessed." Fr. Jeff accounts for which of these meanings is at the heart of Jesus's famous teaching.

Fr. Jeff revisits Matthew's use of prophecy to explain how prophecy works in his Gospel generally. Tracing out the historic background to the reading from Isaiah helps us understand better how Matthew regards the unique mission of Jesus Christ and the dawning of new light upon all those who sit in darkness, both in Matthew's time and ours.

Fr. Grady considers the first encounter between Jesus and his first disciples in the Gospel of John. The eagerness of St. Andrew to share the good news of the manifestation of the Messiah is the model for our own stewardship: Disciples of Jesus give up everything that they have to bless other peoples' lives, and that is what we are called to do today—to come and see what God can do with what w...

This Sunday the church asks us to meditate upon the baptism of Jesus. It is something of a puzzle why Jesus seeks out baptism at the hands of John the Baptist, but Matthew's account asserts that he does this to "fulfill all righteousness." In Peter's preaching from the epistle reading in Acts he says the story of salvation begins here, with the baptism of Christ, which establishe...