Changed By God To Make A Difference For God

Death under any circumstance is hard, isn’t it? But it is especially hard when we are dealing with cancer, a disease that can only charitably be called pure evil. In this case it has struck down a mother in the prime of her life, robbed her of her human dignity as God’s image-bearer, and took her against her will from her husband and young son, along with the rest of her family and friends. There is no good way we can spin this, nor should we try. Her death from cancer is just wrong. There is no justice to be found in it, no goodness. Cancer is truly a wicked disease and Sarah’s death makes us angry and indignant, the way Jesus was when he snorted at his friend Lazarus’ tomb just before he raised him to life (John 11.38) because death is our ultimate enemy, the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15.26). And like Martha in today’s gospel lesson we want to throw our hands up in the air and ask in desperation why God allows this to happen. In other words, we need to hear a word of real hope today. Listen

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40 days of Lent with its focus on self-examination, confession, and repentance. In our Old Testament lesson the prophet Joel warns about the fierce and terrible Day of the Lord, the day when God judges all our sins. Does this mean we worship a God bent on our destruction and punishing us? Not so fast, my friends. It's always dangerous to pull a passage from Scripture out of its context. Listen to what Fr. Maney has to say about it all and see what you think. Lectionary texts for this evening are Joel 2.1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51.1-17; 2 Corinthians 5.20b-6.10; Matthew 6.1-6, 16-21.

The Transfiguration is one of those "wow" moments in the Gospel witness. But sometimes we can miss the most important message in this particular passage from Luke's Gospel. Jesus is shown in glory, and is surrounded by the glory of his Father in the cloud. From that cloud comes a voice from his Father: "This is my Son, My Chosen; Listen to Him!" Both of what Jesus says and does are of benefit to us as we realize he is the true Son of God, and is literally God among us. It is our hope that we can find our true and ultimate healing in this Transfigured One, the Word made flesh, by just his simple words. There is no darkness that can ever contain the magnificent light of his glory, and he delights in glorifying himself in his people. Check out what else Terry has to say and see what you think. Lectionary texts for today are Exodus 34.29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3.12-4.2; Luke 9.28b-43.

Daniel Semelsberger is our guest preacher today. A meditation for the Church on why the Church matters, particularly with respect to the problem (or question) of suffering that is often raised as an objection to the existence of God and/or the truth Christianity. Or, put another way, it's about the Church as an apologetic, and how God intends the Church to be part of his response to the reality of suffering and evil. Lectionary texts for today are Nehemiah 8.1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12.12-31a; Luke 4.14-21.

We worship and love an extravagant and generous God who loves us and gave himself for us in Jesus. Don't believe this? Check out what Fr. Maney has to say about the story of Jesus at the wedding at Cana and see what you think. Lectionary texts for today are Isaiah 62.1-5; Psalm 36.5-10; 1 Corinthians 12.1-11; John 2.1-11.

Today we celebrate the baptism of Christ by John the baptizer. But what was that all about and how does our own baptism fit into Jesus'? Check out what Terry has to say and see what you think. Lectionary texts for today are Isaiah 43.1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8.14-17; Luke 3.15-17, 21-22.

We have all sung the Christmas carol, We Three Kings. But if we strip away our sentimentality associated with this song, we are in a position to see, with the help of the Spirit, some of what St. Matthew has to say about the magi's visit to the baby Jesus (almost surely not on the night Jesus was born). So what is it that Matthew wants us to see about God and us in this story? Check out what Fr. Maney has to say about it all and see what you think. Lectionary texts for the feast of the Epiphany (transferred) are Isaiah 60.1-6; Psalm 72.1-15; Ephesians 3.1-12; Matthew 2.1-12.

Have you ever meditated on meditating? What's it all about? If meditation involves sustained attention to a topic, what better topic than to mediate on the Word made flesh, Jesus the Messiah. Check out what Fr. Bowser has to say about it all and see what you think. Lectionary text for today is John 1.1-14.

Is it possible to have a merry Christmas when you are enveloped in darkness? Astonishingly, both OT and NT writers insist that it is! But how? Check out what Fr. Maney has to say about it all and see what you think. Then go and have a Merry Christmas in the power of the Spirit! Lectionary texts for tonight are Isaiah 9.2-7; Song of God’s Chosen One (from Isaiah 11); Titus 2.11-14; Luke 2.1-20. Merry Christmas from the saints at St. Augustine's Anglican Church in Westerville, OH.

Whether in your car, the shower, at a ballgame, or in a church, singing is a part of the storytelling culture that we live in. We are all prone to singing out songs that have some sort of meaning to us; the ones we sing the most are those that have become part of us in some way. We’ve found them to resonate with us, and in turn they form us even more in some way. In the Gospel of Luke we find a beautiful song from Mary. She sings a song from her heart that is of great significance for all humanity. But to her, it is quite intimate, for she is carrying within her womb the promise given from the one true God; He is Jesus, the Messiah. Do you have a song from a deep rooted sense of peace worth singing with your whole heart and voice? Do you know your story well enough to do so? Jesus Christ is our Lord, the one who was promised, and he is our story worth singing. Check out today’s sermon and see what you think. Lectionary texts for today are Micah 5.2-5a; Psalm 80.1-7; Hebrews 5.5-10; Luke 1.39-55.