Holy Words from Holy Cross

Jesus Gives Clarity to These Things

"That depends on your interpretation."  Have you ever heard this?  So much of what we read in the Bible seems unclear or open to a broad range of interpretation.  In His "Sermon on the Mount," Jesus takes pains to make clear much of what we might misinterpret.

With Righteousness Exceeding

How are we to have righteousness exceeding that of even some of the most pious and religious people who have ever lived?  What is Jesus really asking of us?

Blessed to Obey

Most religious visions instruct us to obey some law, god, or set of principles in order to live a blessed life.  As Jesus begins his most famous sermon, He begins by blessing those who hear Him, demonstrating that Kingdom who arrival He is announcing operates in a different way.

Fishing is a Team Sport

Our picture of fishing is someone sitting peacefully, apart from the hustle and bustle of life... alone.  But that is not how people fished in Jesus' day.  What does this mean for our understanding of Jesus' call to be "fishers of men?"

What Do You Seek?

All of us are seeking something; it gets us out of bed in the morning and motivates us all day long in the things we do.  What are you seeking?  If you found it, would it satisfy you?

Behold the Mystery

Jesus' ministry made some things clear for His followers, but others remain shrouded in mystery; this is a good thing, for it leads us to contemplate Christ more deeply.  Jesus' baptism is one of the most misunderstood events in His ministry.  What was its meaning?  What does it mean for us?

See, Say, and Surrender

To what does the Lord call us?  What is our purpose here and now?  Deacon Michael explores this topic as we enter a new decade.

God With Us

What is the heart of our celebration on Christmas?  As beautiful as the Christ child is, what does His appearance mean for us?  How does this change anything at all for us?

Trusting God

When must we trust God?  How do we know when we are hearing God clearly?  Deacon Michael recounts a very personal history that helps us understand this as we prepare to receive the Christ child.

Be Prepared

The message from today's readings is "be prepared."  But prepared for what?  How should we be prepared?  The season of Advent reminds us of the nature of the most important preparation we undertake in this life.

Exhalting a Humble King

"If you don't toot your own horn, nobody will toot it for you."  This bit of conventional wisdom must have passed Jesus by, for He was always humble.  In fact, on this Christ the King Sunday, we remember Jesus' most abject moment of humiliation, His crucifixion.  When we can look at the crucified Jesus and see God, only then are we beginning to truly understand God.

Alert & Prepared

"The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance."  These words of Irish lawyer and politician John Philpot Curran are familiar to most Americans because of how they were used by abolitionists to help get rid of the institution of slavery.  But there are more ways to be enslaved than to wear physical chains.  Christians treasure the freedom we have in Christ, but what does Jesus require of us to retain that freedom?  Guest preacher Dean David McGettigan reflects w...

Sacrifice

On Veterans' Day we honor the sacrifices of the men and women of our armed forces.  Sacrifice is a central theme of the Christian faith and an indispensable value in all cultures.  What does Jesus teach us about the true nature of sacrifice?

The Most Ridiculous Thing Jesus Said

It is blasphemous to even think of Jesus saying something ridiculous, but the Beatitudes--Jesus' pronouncement of blessings over those the world would deem cursed--is just that... unless Jesus is right. Is He?  Listen and decide for yourself.

The Right Answer to the Right Question

You cannot get a good answer to a bad question.  What sort of question should we be asking as we hear Jesus teach on this Reformation Sunday?

In Contrast with God

Of all the stories Jesus tells, the story of the unjust judge causes the most confusion.  What is Jesus trying to teach us through this difficult story?

A Story of Healing

Moralistic interpretations of the story of the ten lepers Jesus healed miss the crucial point that this is a story about healing... What is true healing and what does this story teach us about it?

Hopefully Overcoming Prejudice

There is increasing misunderstanding and fear of Christians in the United States.  Sociologist George Yancey calls this "Christianophobia."  How can Christians overcome the increasing prejudice directed against them by an uncomprehending culture?  What has God directed us to do?

Who Would You Believe?

Why do we believe what we believe?  Most of us do so because we trust our teachers... What sort of teacher can we trust?  Jesus gives us a jarring example in today's parable.

Shrewdly Following Jesus

In the confusing parable of Luke 16:1-15, Jesus excoriates the followers of God and seems to praise a dishonest manager.  What is going on?  Understanding the distance of our culture from 1st century Palestine will help us understand what Jesus is trying to teach us...

Equal Before the Law and Christ

Rebuilding Relationships

What Is the Lord's Work?

Redeemed for More

Does Jesus think we want too much... or too little?  What is our final destiny as children of God and why would the pursuit of holiness have anything to do with the forgiveness of sins?

The Presence that Divides

We live in a world obsessed with unity.  It is all the talk in our popular culture, so it is strange and shocking to hear Jesus talk about Himself as a force for division rather than unity.  When Jesus' words take us by surprise, we ought to stop and reflect more deeply upon them.  Why and how would the presence of "The Prince of Peace" be the cause for conflict and division?

The Grounds of Our Supplication

How do we dare approach the Creator of the Universe with our paltry concerns?  What grounds do we have for thinking He would even pay attention let alone answer our prayers?

The True Hero

Everyone loves heroes.  What is a true hero?  Why do Christians revere Jesus so much?

Setting Priorities

Everyone has to set priorities.  How do we set them?

The Repugnant Cultural Other

Who can you not possibly imagine as the hero of a story told by God?  That may be exactly whom God is calling you to embrace and love.  Don't think so?  Read Jesus' story about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-47), then reflect with us and decide for yourself...

Peace Like a River

Deep inner peace is something most people crave, but few people--even most Christians, who profess to serve the Prince of Peace--seem to be able to actually find.  What lessons can we learn from those who have actually found this elusive blessing, especially from Jesus, who possessed in so great a degree?

What Has Jesus Done?

It is popular to ask, "What would Jesus do?" when seeking a proposed Christian response to any situation.  But is this a question that most people can really answer?  The Jesus we encounter in the Scriptures often defies our expectations of "gentle Jesus, meek and mild."  The real Jesus is both more challenging and more comforting than the Jesus of our imaginations.

A Student Know What, A Son Knows Why

What is the difference between a mere student and someone who will inherit the family fortune?  Who is more invested in learning?  Who is called to understand more deeply the principles involved in a given field of knowledge?  Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christians are not only forgiven of their sins, but made inheritors of eternal life and the Kingdom of God.  How should we act as people destined to inherit such a Kingdom?

The Provision of Wisdom

As we ponder the mystery of Who God is and our salvation, what ought a Christian to pray for in the face of such glory?  Proverbs teaches us much this Sunday of the Holy Trinity.

Why We Must Evangelize

It has been truly said that the Church of Jesus Christ is perpetually only one generation from extinction.  Christians have the Lord's promise that the Church never will die off, but that is no guarantee that the people we know and love will come to trust in the promises of God in Christ Jesus.  Moreover, faith in the God of the Bible has effects that go far beyond our destiny in "the next world."  This moment may be more pressing than many for Christians to take the Pentecost call to spread...

Ability, Consistency,, Cover-Up

Did the authors of the New Testament have the ability to record the details of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection correctly?  Was the story they recorded consistent... or too consistent?  Did they cover up "uncomfortable truths" in order to make the Jesus they portrayed more palatable to their Roman and Jewish audiences in order to win converts?  The answers are surprising for Christians and non-Christians alike.

Intention and Bias

Did the original witnesses of the resurrection intend to tell the truth about Jesus or did they make up stories in order to establish their new religion?  If they intended to tell the truth, weren't they too biased to be reliable?  Interesting questions to find answers to...

The Character of the Witnesses

What kind of people were the first people to claim to see Jesus' resurrection?  Could they be trusted?  The Christian faith is founded upon their testimony, so it is important to consider the question of the character of those first witnesses.

The Nature of Witness

What is the nature of a witness?  Who should you believe?  What bonafides make for a good reliable witness?  Today's sermon explores this topic... and what agreeing with a witness could mean.

Consider the Evidence

Are Christians weak-minded, deluded, or emotionally immature?  Do they believe what they believe "in spite of the evidence" as one famous atheist puts it, ignoring what is inconvenient to their preferred worldview?  Or is deep Christian faith something entirely different than many people's assumptions, including the assumptions of some Christians?  The story of Thomas is an illuminating example for us of someone converted BY the evidence.  Can modern Christians have a similar experience?

Why Do You Seek the Living Among the Dead?

Why do we seek life from things that cannot provide it?  We all do it.... Why?  What is the alternative?

Set Free

The worst sorts of chains are the sort we cannot see.  Part of the meaning of Maundy Thursday is that it is the Lord's intention to set us free...

Prayer: Phone a Friend

Many times in our Christian lives, our prayer lives can become dry, boring, difficult, or obstructed by anger, bewilderment, or rebellion.  At times like these we are blessed that we are on the spiritual journey with others, the friends of our Friend Jesus.  At times of difficulty in prayer, it is wise to phone a friend...

Prayer: God's Means to Make Us Holy

Of all the things that happen in prayer, God's work within us to make us more like Himself--holy--may be the most important.  What do Christians mean when we say God is "holy?"  How can we ever hope to acquire that characteristic?

The Role of Wisdom (Vespers)

While modern culture values knowledge and data, ancient cultures valued something harder to acquire: wisdom.  The Bible has five books dedicated to wisdom, and wisdom is spoken of throughout the New Testament.  How is wisdom different from mere knowledge or data?  Is the acquisition of wisdom something modern Christians need change their thinking about?

Prayer: Distracted at Prayer

Of all things people report in their experience with prayer--exhilaration, frustration, boredom--distraction is by far the most common.  What do we do when we find ourselves distracted at--or from--prayer?

Prayer: The Impediment of Repentance

One of the things that interferes most with our prayer life is sin.  Sin makes us avoid God and makes God's presence in prayer hard to perceive.  The problem is, many of us are afflicted with sins of which we are largely unaware.  How do we discover these sins and let them go so God may increase the depth of our prayer?

We Rest Only in Christ (Vespers)

Psalm 4 is an important part of the daily prayer of the Church... and for good reason!  In the midst of a life fraught with anxiety, change, and fear, this Psalm speaks to us of true rest and how to find it.

Prayer: Life in Christ and the Practice of the Presence of God

The more time we spend at something, the better we get at it.  Why do we expect an instant sense of connection with God in our prayer lives when we would not have that expectation for any other relationship?  Of course, God is not like any other person with whom we might have a relationship, but we are the same, no matter with whom we are interacting...

Prayer: Recovering Its Purpose

What is the purpose of prayer, the purpose of repentance, the purpose of many of the things Christians do?  Modern Christians are often captives of their own time, their thoughts and questions shaped by concerns unique to themselves.  But the Word of God is for all Christians in all times, in all places.  Is there wisdom in the historic Christian witness that we would be wise to glean as we face the challenges of our own day?

Converted Again and Again to Christ

Do we "get saved" once or do we come again and again to Jesus in repentance of our sins and trust in His forgiveness?  Christians sometimes argue about these things, but maybe that is the wrong approach... what if we are using different words to describe similar experiences?  As we seek the Lord during Lent, it is worthwhile to pause and consider what we are engaged in as Christians practicing our faith...