St. John the Divine Anglican Church

Last Sunday, we heard from the Gospel according to St. John how Philip and Nathanial were called to be disciples of Jesus. I also gave you some of the preceding verses about the calling of Andrew and Peter. Today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Mark about how Jesus called Andrew and Simon, the brothers who were fishermen. Jesus told them this interesting word twist that has become

John 1:43-51 In the Gospel of St. John we heard today, Jesus is beginning to select his disciples. The first one we heard about was Philip. But there a few verses that precede today’s selection where the first of these disciples are chosen. Let me set the scene for you. John had just baptized Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, had come down and remained

St. John the Baptizer said, “I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” From the Gospel according to St. Mark (1:8.) Today we are celebrating the baptism of Jesus. The baptism consisted of the washing in the river, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. St. Peter mentions this in Acts 10:38: God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit. The Sacrament

Matthew 2:1-12 As we heard in the Gospel today, three wise men came from the East to find the new born king. We three kings of Orient are… It’s not quite Epiphany, the commemoration of their visit, but it’s close enough! Who were these wise men? The Greek word that is translated here as wise men, is “Magoi” which became the English word “Magi.” That word can be translated as

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God John 1:1 Today is the third day of Christmas and also the feast of our Patron Saint John the Divine. It was 29 years ago that I was ordained a Deacon by Bp. Clarence C Pope, of blessed memory. The Gospel according to John is a most fascinating account of our Lord. There

Something extraordinary happened on Dec 21. The Great Conjunction of 2020. Did you see it? What in the world am I talking about? On Dec. 21, Saturn and Jupiter were aligned with earth within 0.1 degrees of separation. To the naked eye they appeared as one very bright star. This has renewed interest in the theory of the Star of Bethlehem. Was there really a star in the East that

Today is the Third Sunday in Advent which is sometimes called Gaudete Sunday. The name means Rejoice, and it comes from the words of Philippians 4 that says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.” The lesson from Isaiah carries the theme as well; “I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people.” Advent is traditionally a period of fasting for the preparation of the coming of

Jesus said, “And what I say to you I say to all: Watch.” from the Gospel according to St. Mark. (13:24-37) Happy New Year! Too early you say? Maybe for your iPhone’s calendar, but not for the Church Year. This is the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of our Church Calendar year. The liturgical color has changed to Purple, and if you read some of the info out there

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides still waters. He restores me soul.” Water is a fundamental part of of life. According to the USGS, the earth is 71% covered in water, and the oceans contain over 96% of all of the earth’s water. The rest is in the air as vapor, underground is aquifers, in

This country is in the midst of a revolution. I don’t have to tell you that, really. You watch the news or perhaps read the news on the internet. Maybe you still read the newspaper. You know that the conservative values we have held here in the heartland are under assault. I’m not talking about politics, but I am talking about the erosion of traditional values that has slowly taken