St. John the Divine Anglican Church

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” from the Gospel according to St. Matthew. Today we commemorate and celebrate the Baptism of Jesus by St John in the Jordan River. As we learned in the Gospel, John hesitated, because he thought himself unworthy to baptize Jesus, and instead he should be baptized by him. Jesus says, “Let it be

“And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” From the Gospel of St. Luke. Today we celebrate the Holy Name of Jesus. This was the name given to Mary by the angel at the annunciation in Luke 1:31: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shined.” Isaiah 9:2-4,6-7 What does Christmas mean to you? Certainly for Christians, Jesus is the reason for the season, right? The Word made flesh, as St. John would put it. Any child can tell you it’s Jesus’ birthday! For many people, the reasons tend to be

Today is the 4th Sunday in Advent, the last Sunday before Christmas. We heard the familiar prophecy of Isaiah in the first reading. It seems that everybody wants a sign, and the LORD knows that Ahaz wants one. God says, “Go ahead and ask. I know you want to.” Ahaz is too shy to ask, or maybe too scared, so Isaiah speaks up with one of the greatest prophecies ever

“Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord.” From the letter of St. James. This Third Sunday in Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday, because in the old Latin mass, the introit went like this: “Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete” which translates to: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.” This comes from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians 4:4. The traditional color of

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: `Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” From the Gospel of St. Matthew (3:1-12) This is the second Sunday of the Advent season. In the Gospel reading we just heard, St. Matthew quotes from the prophet Isaiah in Chapter 40. Verses 3 – 5 are these: A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, Make

“Let us then lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light.” From St. Paul’s letter to the Roman, chapter 13:8-14. Today marks the first Sunday in Advent, the first Sunday of the Liturgical year. The theme of the coming of the Day of the Lord, or the advent of the Lord to judge the living and the dead is a constant in our teaching of

2 Thessalonians 1:1-5(6-10)11-12 Today’s letter from St. Paul is to the Thessalonians. The city of Thessalonica was established some 300 years BC, and became an important Port city on the Aegean Sea, in the Byzantine empire. The city still thrives and is now in modern day Greece, and is called Thessoloniki. St. Paul established the church there, while spending about three months working to build it up. There were both

I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 We have come to the last bit of St. Paul’s letter to St. Timothy. As I have said, it is likely the last letter he wrote before his death in Rome. He begins with a reference to the drink offering, or libation, as mentioned in Leviticus, and more specifically

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” From the second letter of St. Paul to St. Timothy 3:14-4:5 In our reading of the Second letter of St. Paul to St. Timothy, we heard some of the advice given to Timothy in his