Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! How wonderful it is to cry out Alleluia once again. Today, like that early morning that we heard about in the Gospel is the first day of the week. This is the day we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord. Every Sunday of the year is a celebration of his resurrection, but this one is our annual feast recalling that
April 11th, 2020
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Sermon on the Great Vigil of Easter Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! Tonight we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from death and grave to eternal life. But, for many people, Easter means so much more. As I was watching television earlier today, I saw an ad for a Golden Easter Bunny made of chocolate. The tag line was something about the Magic
April 11th, 2020
Tune in to our Facebook page for Live Holy Eucharists
You do not need a Facebook account to watch our videos. https://www.facebook.com/pg/stjohnthedivineburk/videos/
April 9th, 2020
Maundy Thursday
Tonight we celebrate the events of the Last Supper in the upper room, where Christ gave his disciples instructions to be carried out in his name. The name Maundy came from the Latin word Maundatum, meaning commandment. The commandment we focus on today is the one Christ gave, “do this in remembrance of me.” St. Justin Martyr, who was born in about 100 AD, was one of the first Apologists
April 5th, 2020
Palm Sunday
Today is Palm Sunday, but you will notice in your bulletin it has two names. “The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday” This because there are two distinct parts to our celebration today. The first being a commemoration of the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. We read from the Gospel according to St. Matthew about this event. “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass
March 29th, 2020
A Free Gift
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” From St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. St. Paul’s letter to the Romans is considered one of the greatest books in the Bible. Martin Luther described it as “the chief book in the New Testament and the purest gospel.” John Knox, a modern American professor, says that it is
March 22nd, 2020
Be Imitators of God
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. St. Paul’s letter that we heard today begins with this simple guidance for the Christian life. Be imitators of God, as beloved children. I’m sure you have heard the phrase, “Children learn what they
March 15th, 2020
The Woman at the Well
The adult human body contains about 60% water. Water is something we take for granted here. We turn the little handle and the water flows. In many parts of the world, water is a precious resource that is not easy to come by. Water is life. When I was in Malawi, I saw women carrying buckets of water on their heads. Each day they walk to the local well, fill
March 8th, 2020
For God so love the world… plus the rest of the story
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” from the Gospel according to St. John. These words from the Gospel according to St. John are among the most well known in the Bible. They are filled with hope and love, and reassurance that God loves us, and wants us to live eternally; however, these
March 1st, 2020
Temptation in the Wilderness
“After Jesus was baptized, he was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” From the Gospel according to St. Matthew. On Wednesday, we began our annual Lenten season of prayer and fasting in which we participate in the 40 days journey in the wilderness with Jesus. I did not say that we will commemorate this event. Rather, we are called to participate in
