Sermon for Advent 1 Wednesday
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God’s Beautiful Grace…
Sermon for Advent 1 Wednesday
Tag: Advent
Sermon for Advent 1 Wednesday
Advent 1_Wed_2023
Advent 1 – Wednesday Evening Prayer
…Click on the above title for the bulletin.
A season of hope, peace, joy and love for God’s people
Happy Holy Week! Today we celebrate Jesus’ Advent as the first half of this new Church Year begins again. All of you should know the season. It serves to prepare the Way for us to hear of, and rejoice in, the divine reasons the eternal Second Person of the Holy Trinity took on our flesh.
The rhythm of this season is used to return our thoughts and hearts to the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love God showed for sinners. He did so that they, you, might have the blessings of eternal life in Christ even now. …For more, click on the title above.
Advent 1_2023
Advent 1 (Ad Te Lavavi)
…Click on the above title for the bulletin.
Love, peace, hope and rejoicing
Three out of the four emotions, actions, verbs, meanings attributed to the candles of the Advent wreath are ones which we certainly strive for during our earthly lives, but always fall short of fulfilling—those three being love, peace and hope—those are all Divine gifts that our Lord and Savior provides to us and for us. Rejoicing, now that’s something we can and should do continually when we think about the grace and mercy shown to us by our heavenly Father….for more, click on the title above.
Proclamations of God’s love
Today is the Sunday in the Church Year that is especially set aside so that the members of Christ’s Body would be called to prepare the way of the Lord in their hearts, minds, and lives. That preparation the Holy Spirit works, as the faithful, you we pray, participate as fully as possible in that which is going on the Lord’s Service to us. I said, “as fully as possible,” because as humans still wrestling with sin—in the world and in ourselves—we do become distracted…
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Why are they rejoicing?
As we consider the two readings for today, it is clear that both of the people who originally uttered these songs are rejoicing. Our first reading is attributed to Hannah, the second to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptizer. Directly after the evening sermon, we will sing the Magnificat. This is yet another song of praise, first sung by Mary.
So, in the texts we have three Biblical figures, Hannah, Mary and Zechariah, singing songs to God and rejoicing.
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A history of forgiveness
While the prophets of old were directing people to look forward to the Messiah, John was pointing them to the actual Messiah who had come, the Lord Jesus Christ. John was baptizing people into the forgiveness of sins, preparing them for the more excellent and real Baptism into the death of Jesus Christ. It is our baptism into Christ that will save and bring regeneration. This is why our catechumens learn to call it, along with St. Paul, “a washing of regeneration and renewal.”…
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Zion’s salvation comes
Eventually Zion was meant to refer to all of God’s people and we still do that today. So, when the Bible uses the term Zion, which it does a lot, it’s not so much about geography or a specific hill. It’s using it as a reference to the people of God….
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Our God is a God of Hope
What is the “hope” that is in you? If your definition of hope goes something like this: “Wouldn’t it be nice, if…., or, “If only…” That’s NOT what the Scriptures mean by hope.
In today’s reading St. Paul called our God a “God of hope.” A God who fills His people with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit they may abound in hope. That’s not so they would abound in “wouldn’t it be nice,” or, “if only…”
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