Month: October 2013

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God's Righteousness

Text: Romans 3:19-28
Date: Reformation Day (Observed) + 10/27/13

Blessed is the King, the King who comes in the name of the Lord. No, not Martin Luther King, Jr. And not even Martin Luther. But the King “after the order of Melchizedek” (Ps 110), Jesus, “the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek” (Heb 5:6-10), “by translation of his name, king of righteousness” (Heb 7:2). Jesus is the King. Jesus is God’s Righteousness. Jesus is your righteousness. Continue reading “God's Righteousness”

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Whatever Happened to "Importunity"?

Text: Luke 18:1-8
Date: Pentecost XXII (Proper 24) + 10/20/13

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Are you getting a little sick of hearing that phrase begin every sermon for this whole year, today for the 49th time? (Don’t worry there’s only five more times till the end of this liturgical year). That’s what “importunity” is. It is to make urgent requests to the point of becoming annoying. Continue reading “Whatever Happened to "Importunity"?”

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Whatever Happened to "Importunity"?

Text: Luke 18:1-8
Date: Pentecost XXII (Proper 24) + 10/20/13

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Are you getting a little sick of hearing that phrase begin every sermon for this whole year, today for the 49th time? (Don’t worry there’s only five more times till the end of this liturgical year). That’s what “importunity” is. It is to make urgent requests to the point of becoming annoying. Continue reading “Whatever Happened to "Importunity"?”

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That I May Leave You Never

Text: Luke 17:11-19
Date: Pentecost XXI (Proper 23) + 10/13/13

Blessed is the King: the Son of David—the son of Jesse, the grandson of Obed, the great-grandson of Ruth; blessed because God gathers for Himself the Church even from among the heathen. “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord” was the cry of the crowds on that first Palm Sunday in Jerusalem. It is the cry of faith of all the world over who are His disciples. It is the cry of the whole Church, but sometimes of just a single voice. “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us,” cried ten Samaritan lepers. But only one saw that Jesus was more than merely some miracle-working “master,” but that He was indeed the King Himself. When the ten were told to go and show themselves to the priests, only this one was given the grace to discover that this Jesus is The Priest to whom is given all power, worship, adoration and thanksgiving. Continue reading “That I May Leave You Never”

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Children's Message: The Duty of Faith

Text: Luke 17:1-10
Date: Pentecost XX (Proper 22) + 10/6/13

“As [Jesus] was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’” (Luke 19:36-38). “But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant” (Matt 21:15). Continue reading “Children's Message: The Duty of Faith”