As many of you know, when I was younger, I spent about 15 years in Messianic Judaism, a Christian movement that emphasized the Jewish roots of the faith. This means that we worshipped on Friday night or Saturday, our liturgy was centered on the annual cycle of reading the Torah, and our calendar was based…
[Homily preached at All Saints on 12/30/2018. Text originally published on John Mack’s blog] “[W]e also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were…
Text: John 1:1-17 Christmas is absolutely my favorite time of year. I love the colder weather and the opportunity to dust off my felt hats and long coat. I love the seasonal food. I love the Victorian cultural ethos that often goes with Christmas in the English-Speaking world. I love the last vestiges of our…
Text: Romans 15:4-13 Today, the Second Sunday in Advent, is often called “Bible Sunday” in Anglican circles due to the theme articulated in our Collect (page 92 in the Prayer Book): Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read,…
Texts: Romans 13:8ff, Matthew 21:1ff In this part of Texas, by the time we get to the first Sunday in December, most of our neighbors are in full Christmas mode. Lights and trees are up, the airwaves are full of new and old covers of Christmas carols, and we’ve all put on about five pounds!…
Text: Jeremiah 23:5-9, 29:4-7 Today is the “Sunday Next Before Advent,” which is often informally called “Stir Up Sunday” in Anglican circles. The most obvious reason for this is today’s Collect, which begins with the phrase, “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people.” But in England and some of…
Text: Matthew 24:23-28 When I was six or seven years old, my mother gave me my first real bible. Not a picture bible. Not a kid’s story book. A real bible. Yes, it was marketed to children, but the only thing that made it different from any other New American Bible published in the early…
Text: Revelation 7:2-15 Today is the Sunday in the Octave of All Saints, when we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. Those of you who attended our midweek discipleship or listened to the audio podcast of the class on Christianity and Halloween last month may recall that All Saints is one of the younger feast…