Sermon Scripture: Luke 1:68-79

“Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79)

These words spoken by the priest Zechariah at the birth of his son John (the Baptist) profess the goodness and faithfulness of God in keeping the promises given and bringing peace. Yet, the world Zechariah lived in was anything but peaceful. This week, we consider how to be and enact peace.

Sermon Scripture: Psalm 25:1-10

No matter where your heart is today, no matter the unsettled state of our world, the words of Psalm 25’s promises fuel our hope. 

Advent is a season of longing in the darkness, recognizing our need, clinging to God’s promises, and stoking our faithful hope that Christmas dawn is already growing on the horizon.

Sermon Scripture: Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 1:5-7, John 18:33-37

On Christ the King Sunday, we consider anew, which king and kingdom do we serve. We look to Jesus, crucified and risen, unveiled in his power and mercy, who destroys every false image of earthly power. 

May we look to Jesus and thus find the courage to look within our own hearts, renewed and empowered to follow the ways of Jesus and his revolutionary Kingdom in confident trust and hope.

Sermon Scripture: Hebrews 13:1-8

Here in our final week of study through the book of Hebrews we see the power of love and hospitality in our care for one another. Learning to live in this way is how we connect ourselves to the miraculous power of God’s Kingdom.

Through our interactions, each of us become the hands of feet of the Kingdom to others — or perhaps, we find ourselves receiving this divine gift in surprising ways. 

Sermon Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3. 12:1-3

Stories of hope are so important for us. They are not only wrapped up in our imaginations as inspiration, but they empower our actual living.

We look to those who lived lives marked with great faith as an inspiration in our challenges. We remind ourselves of the hope, of the faith, that carried them on. We acknowledge, lament, and confess their shortcomings, but ultimately we see the hope and faith they carried as fuel for us in our own lives.

Sermon Scripture: Hebrews 9:11-14, 19-22

The overall aim of the author of the Letter to the Hebrews is to convince Jewish Christians not to turn away from their new faith back to the Judaism they grew up in. He makes a case that Jesus is better in every way—greater than angels, prophets, Moses, priests who came before him.

This week, Hebrews makes its final argument of the supremacy of Jesus, the perfect sacrifice and savior for all humanity.

Sermon Scripture: Hebrews 6:9-12

Hebrews is trying to stir up the faltering 1st century Jewish Christians who were ready to give up the game for lost. It’s like they were in a match that was tied-up at the end of the period and they saw no way of pulling out the win. Many of them were packing it up and just going home. Leaving the covenant of Jesus behind in favor of the well worn and familiar covenant of the Torah.

But Hebrews provides us inspiring encouragement in finishing what we started.

Sermon Scripture: Hebrews 5:1-10

Theologian Fulton Sheen said that every priest is essentially a Jacob's ladder—that is to say, someone who connects heaven and earth. Thomas Aquinas asserts simply that the priest is a mediator, a bridge, between human beings and God. 

This week we consider Jesus as the ultimate and final high priest.

Sermon Scripture: Hebrews 3:1-6

For us, the story of Jesus and all that he taught and demonstrated is familiar and well covered ground. But, for the 1st century Jews, this upstart Jesus and his radical reformation of the Mosaic law was brand new, and depending on how seriously you took him, he was either who he said he was; the Messiah of God, a harmless distracting, or a dangerous heretic.

Sermon Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-4

Hebrews was written from one devout Jewish follower of Christ to others struggling in their faith. A struggle that many of us are accustomed to today.

Throughout this series we will dwell on the incomparable glory of the person and work of Jesus Christ; showing his supremacy over angels and prophets, priests, and the old covenant and its temple and its sacrifices — and the new life and vocation Jesus brings to his followers. We will be reminded what real, lived and tested faith looks like, and conclude the week before Thanksgiving by reminding ourselves of the power of Love to change our world.

This is the Covenant of Christ and it is worth keeping.