Galatians 3:23-29
A Sermon for the Third Sunday of Pentecost
This Galatians text is a great text because of what it says about the law as our “custodian.” “. . . Before faith came, we were confined under the law . . . the law was our custodian until Christ came . . . But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian . . . .”
The word “custodian” today is commonly understood as another word for “janitor.” But, of course, that’s not the kind of custodian that Paul is talking about.
I Corinthians 8:6; John 16:12-15
A Sermon for Trinity Sunday based on the Athanasian Creed
Today is Trinity Sunday, that one Sunday each year when we focus on the fact that God is one and three in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What do we make of this?
Some have said that the Trinity is like water: it can be like steam, water, ice.
Or, the Trinity is like a triangle which has three corners but it’s one.
Or it can be like Augustine, the great early church father said: The Trinity is like the one who loves, the one who is loved, and the loving.
A sermon based on John 14-16.
On this festival Sunday we use passages from the Gospel of John chapters 14-16 because they deal most extensively with the Holy Spirit (also called the Paraclete, the Counselor, the Advocate).
What is the Holy Spirit about? We know that there are competing claims about where Holy Spirit is and how the Holy Spirit works.
At the First Vatican Council in 1870, Roman Catholic bishops voted to confirm (promulgated the dogma) that when the Pope declares (using the words: “I declare”) something on faith and morals for the universal church, his decision is infallible because the Holy Spirit is believed to guard the Pope when he is doing that.
John 17:20-26
A Sermon for the Seventh Sunday of Easter
The text for today is the famous text for Christian unity: “That they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that may also be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:21).
Probably a million or more sermons are being preached on this text today. What are pastors saying about it? Many probably are saying the church is one, and therefore, the oneness needs to be made visible, and the oneness is to be found in the majority, therefore we need to be with the majority wherever they are said to be.
Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5; John 14:27
A Sermon for the Sixth Sunday of Easter
Today we again have a reading from 21st chapter of the Book of Revelation. Last week we had that fantastic picture of the new heaven, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem coming out of heaven. Today we have more about the New Jerusalem.
Our text cuts out some verses in the middle of the 21st chapter which give the dimensions of this beautiful city. In those missing verses it says there are so many gates with the names of the tribes and the foundations with the names of the apostles. Then it says the city is 15 hundred miles wide, 15 hundred miles deep and 15 hundred miles high. And with this wall going around it which is about 100 feet high.