St. John the Divine Anglican Church

Jesus said, “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” from the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The Law of Moses is an important topic in the Gospel according to St. Matthew. Jesus made reference to the Law to assure the Pharisees and other leaders of the Jews that he respected the Mosaic Law,

“God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong,” from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (1:27) Jesus had a way of confounding the people of the world when he walked among us, and he still confounds them today. The Beatitudes, as they are known, has been called the little catechesis, or teaching of

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” From the Gospel according to St. Matthew. At the beginning of his ministry, as recorded by St. Matthew, Jesus went to Caper′na-um by the sea of Galilee. It was there that he found Andrew and Simon Peter, and the rest of the twelve apostles. He began to teach them about repentance and the

“John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” from the Gospel according to St. John 1:29-41 The Gospel reading today contains a number of important statements. These statements influence how we talk about God, or our theology. First, let’s look at the statement of St. John the Baptist. “Behold the Lamb of God,” he writes. To

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