Sunday Sermon

The prodigal son made several choices which we often mistakenly roll into one. After reading the story carefully I realize that each decision was specific in and of itself. Let me share with you the choices he made.....

“That we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ” (I St. John 3:23) St John tells us that we should not be amazed that the world hates us. We should not be amazed because even Our Blessed Saviour stated that the world hated Him. We are commanded to love one another as difficult as that is at times.

“He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him (St. John 6:56) Giving gifts to loved ones is a wonderful thing but the best gift we can give to others is when we give the gift of our self. Our Lord gives of Himself to nourish us, sustain us, feed us.

Malachi 2:2 “I will curse your blessings, yea I will curse them” Has the blessings that God has given you become a curse to you?

As we live life on a daily basis we play different "roles" based on what we are doing at that particular moment. But when it comes to being a Christian, our life can not be "chopped up into sections," so to speak. In other words, we can not say that we are a Christian when we go to church but not a Christian when we are at home.

Waiting is hard, but when waiting involves the things of God, waiting is essential. Empowerment is in the waiting! Not waiting on God is disastrous!

Take every Word of God, Whether the spoken or the written Word of God seriously and mourn over your sin whenever you come short of God's standards.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.” (St. James 1:19) St. James tells us to focus on God. He tells us to focus on doing the work of God. He tells us to be "the doers of the word, and not hearers only." (St. James 1:22)

On the hill of Calvary, in the hour when Jesus was crucified, two thieves, condemned with Him, hung on either side with Jesus in the middle. For the hour of their suffering they were thus separated, if only physically, by the cross of Jesus. In the outcome they were eternally separated, one to perdition and the other to be with Him for ever. This is a picture of what the cross of Jesus always does.

“He that hath the Son hath life.” (I John, Chapter Five) Sometimes life seems to overwhelm us with burdens and trials and difficulties. And yet it is Christ Who gives us victory over the world.

“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)

Strangers and pilgrims are descriptors of Christians because we are citizens of a kingdom, not of this world.

This is the feast day of Saint Joseph the Worker, and I thought it would be a good time for us to focus on the issue of work and labor as God has described or portrayed it for us in the Scriptures.

When a person who rejects Christ gift of salvation, takes that last breath and the heart stops beating, there is no delay in going to their eternal abode. Where would you go if you were to die this very moment?

We are to be like God, we have to allow Christ to remake us in His own image. And that image, Father Todd reminds us today, is the image of love. “As the Father hath loved Me, so I have loved you; continue ye in My love.” (St. John 15:9)

Palm Sunday, April 10th, 2022 "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you." (St. John 15:16) We make choices constantly, on a daily basis. As Christians, we are called to choose God over the world.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son....

In the Lords prayer the very first request is, "Hallowed be Thy Name." This was the primary longing in the heart of the Lord Jesus. He prayed "Father, glorify Thy Name," and chose the way of the Cross since that was to the Father's glory.

Every new year brings with it new opportunities, new beginnings. In Christ and His grace, we can find this same newness at any moment of our lives.

How often do we do something really stupid and then we say out loud to ourselves: "Why did I do that?"