To fully understand the Passion Narrative from the book of John we need to go back several chapters and pluck out a few verses. Just after Lazarus was raised from the dead we read,
“So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, ‘What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.’” For more, click on the title above.
Author: kyriss
Come Lord Jesus, be our guest
Christ is Risen! This Resurrection Evening sermon’s theme has been drawn from the readings we’ve heard. It will be revealed in this Service that God has continues to answer our prayer, “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest.” To that end, this Service does close the highest Feast Day of the year among us. It does so with the reminder that Jesus continues to make Himself known in the breaking of the bread… the Lord’s Supper… the Sacrament of the Altar. …For more, click on the title above
Another Resurrection Day
The apostle Paul writes,
“If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain…and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”
But your sins are forgiven, and your faith isn’t empty. Your faith isn’t meaningless because Christ is risen, He is risen indeed, Alleluia. Your faith rests upon this proclamation of the Resurrection of the Lord. …For more, click on the title above.
I know that my Redeemer lives
The message of Good Friday is that Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God died for the sins of the world. All transgressions have been paid for by Jesus, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. The message of Easter is of Life in the Resurrection of the crucified Son of the Living God.
This has been the hope that God’s people have always had, believed and confessed. …For more, click on the title above.
‘It is finished!’ God’s word for fulfillment for you
The readings for this day help to nail home the message of our recent Wednesday series: “Why Easter?” Then we heard Jesus give His answers as to why His baptized and rightly confessing people still celebrate the greatest of the Five High Feasts of the early Church.
Today, during the Great Triduum, we hear again from prophecy and from Jesus. Today, through the readings, hymns, and Psalm canticles, Jesus reminds us how He fulfilled His ancient Word concerning how God would rescue His people from the wages that their/our sins earn. Those, for all who don’t believe in the Christ of the Scriptures, are the second death and an enduring separation from God. …For more, click on the title above.
The blood of the Lamb
Thousands upon thousands of lambs—buckets upon buckets of blood—this is the history of the Passover. Long ago, in the land of Egypt, in a land of exile, in a land of slavery, the Israelites suffered under the iron fist of Pharaoh.
This line of pharaohs had forgotten the saving work of Joseph and how he had delivered Egypt from the devastating famine. They had enslaved the Hebrew people to do the pharaohs’ manual labor—to build their cities and erect their monuments. …For more, click on the title above.
Why Easter? To proclaim Christ crucified to forgive sin
We have heard three readings from Holy Scripture today, our Old Testament reading from Isaiah, the 2nd reading from the Book of Revelation, and the Passion reading from St. Luke. As we gather this day, it is appropriate that we focus on three points:
1. The betrayal of Jesus by his friend, Judas,
2. The vengeance that is yet to come upon the enemies of our Lord, and
3. To continue in our Lenten theme, “Why Easter?”
For more, click on the title above.
Crucify Him!
On Sunday we celebrated the royal glory of the King of Israel as He triumphantly entered Jerusalem. There was a great crowd gathered in the Holy City for the Passover festival as they were celebrating their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. The Israelites were remembering the blood of the lamb that was on their doorposts as a sign that death would pass over them. When they heard Jesus was coming, they took palm branches to go out and meet Him. The Palm branches were waved as a symbol of deliverance, victory, and triumph….For more, click on the title above.
God’s new convenant brings forgiveness and salvation
Today, we heralded the fulfillment of the divine prophecy through Christ’s Presence. This we did through our actions and words that were applied to our remembrance of Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem long ago. Jesus humbly did that so that He would die bearing the sins of all people for all times into death.
Jesus’ long-awaited victory procession on that first Palm Sunday again reveals how He, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, had determined God would save sinners from sin and all its effects. It was declared in the way He was heralded, “Hosanna!” that is, “Save Now!”…For more, click on the title above.
Why Easter? Jesus answers and says: ‘Father, into Your Hands I commit my Spirit’
To prepare us for the coming Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord, throughout the Wednesdays of Lent following Ash Wednesday, we’ve been hearing Jesus give the answer to, “Why Easter?” That He has continued to do as we’ve heard translations of His “Seven Words from the Cross.”
His indelible and eternal statements began to be declared again among us on Lent I Wednesday. Then we heard a good rationale presented for this “Seven Words” Lenten series. …For more, click on the title above.