Faith Speaks — Reverend Neil Taylor — Sermon Podcast

Read Matthew 17:1-9

Transfiguration | Last Sunday of Epiphany (Year A)

The Transfiguration is that extraordinary moment when someone—or something—is seen for who they truly are, in all their beauty and glory. In Matthew 17:1–9, we discover that the Transfiguration isn’t about Jesus changing into something new. It’s about the disciples finally seeing Him as He already is. Transformation is about becoming—like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. But transfiguration is about revealing—it’s the unveiling of reality. It’s the moment we see Jesus not as we imagine Him, but as He truly is.

Read Matthew 5:13-16

Fifth Sunday of Epiphany | World Mission Sunday (Year A)

God calls every Christian to influence the world around them. Jesus began teaching this concept early in his ministry, telling his disciples that he would make them fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). Then, in the Sermon on the Mount, he used the illustrations of salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). Both salt and light have properties that affect their surroundings. Salt is used to enhance flavor and as a preservative. To 'be salt' means to deliberately seek to influence the people in one's life by showing them the unconditional love of Christ through good deeds. Light is a symbol of awareness, knowledge, and understanding. To 'be light' means to be a witness to others concerning the truth of God's Word, especially about who Christ is and how he died and rose again for our salvation.

Read John 1:25-34

Second Sunday of Epiphany (Year A)

Our Gospel text today is full of John the Baptist’s powerful words about Jesus. In verse 29, John says that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world:

Read Acts 10:36-48

First Sunday of Epiphany (Year A)

Jesus revealed the essence of the Holy Spirit's mission in John 16:14: "He will glorify me."

"The essence of the Holy Spirit's ministry is, at this or any time in the Christian era, to mediate the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ" (J.I. Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit, p. 55).

In other words, the Spirit is sent to make Christ real to people, and to show us who he really is in his glory, so that we come to love him and trust him and obey him and, in turn, show him to the world. What this means is that the Holy Spirit is more likely to come in power where the truth about Jesus is being lifted up and made plain. The Spirit loves to come and take the truth about Jesus and turn it into an experience of Jesus.

That's what happened in Acts 10:36-48: Peter presented a verbal portrait of Jesus, and the Spirit transformed the portrait into the living reality of Jesus himself.

Read Matthew 2:7-12

Second Sunday of Christmastide (Year A)

If you’re someone who really believes the Bible is the Word of God—and that Jesus was truly born of a virgin in Bethlehem, surrounded by angels, shepherds, and Wise Men—it’s still pretty easy to let the Christmas story slip into the category of “something sweet and familiar.” We’d never come right out and say it’s just a story or a myth, but after seeing it acted out year after year in Christmas plays—with the perfect lighting, the adorable kids, the beautiful music, and everything neatly in place—we might start to picture it that way in our minds.

Read John 1:10-13

First Sunday of Christmastide (Year A)

In a little town called Bethlehem, a baby was born—and at first glance, it looked like any other birth, but this child was different; this was God Himself stepping into our world, taking on human flesh, becoming one of us. That is the heartbeat of the Christian faith: the God who made us came near enough to be held, to be heard, to be rejected or received. Everything else Christians believe, everything we cling to and hope in, flows out of that one stunning truth we remember at Christmastide.

Read Luke 2:15-20

Christmas Day (Year A)

A couple of Christmases ago, as a family, we vacationed in New York City the week before Christmas Eve. Up on 5th Avenue, right by the Rockefeller Center, there was a life-size Nativity Scene. As expected, it offers all the usual characters; however, if you looked closely, you could see that baby Jesus was chained and bolted to the ground, ensuring that no prankster would carry him off, because, seemingly, it happened every year.

In fact, out of curiosity, I discovered that if you Google "stolen baby Jesus," you will find dozens of news stories of the infant Jesus being taken from manger scenes all across the country. Year after year, in town after town, from church corners to front yards, someone will think it sport to steal baby Jesus out of the manger, and he is often never to be seen again.

Read Luke 2:1-20

Christmas Eve (Year A)

Luke’s literary masterpiece is “the Christmas Gospel”; even secular minds and hearts far from God are moved by its message. The imagery of families gathering the candlelight and carols all reach into lives troubled with pain and despair and offer the incredible promise of hope to people who may show up only once a year. How can this promise be trusted in a world that is lonely and unforgiving?

Herod’s murderous response in Matthew’s Gospel to Jesus’ birth may be more believable to a contemporary society hardened by harsh political realities. Still, the wonder of the Christmas Gospel is not mere sentiment. The question is: how can the strong, gentle truth be told?

Read Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:22-23

Fourth Sunday in Advent (Year A)

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Augustine of Hippo

There is a great yearning inside every person to know God. From the very beginning, we were made to know God, and there is something in us that wants to know our Creator. We yearn to know that God has broken through into our world, and it is not enough to know that God is "up there" or "out there" somewhere.

We want to know that God has come down to where we are. We want to know that he knows where we live, that he knows our name, that he cares about us, that he has "walked this lonesome valley" the same way we do. We want to know that we are not alone in the universe.

All the prophets spoke of this universal yearning in the human heart. Joel spoke of it, as did Malachi, Hosea, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Zechariah. But no one spoke more eloquently than Isaiah. Seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, during the reign of a king named Ahaz, Isaiah predicted the birth of the One who would be God coming to dwell with humanity.

Read Isaiah 11:1-10 & Matthew 3:1-12

Second Sunday in Advent (Year A)

Advent is a significant season. The Sundays in Advent become a microcosm of all of our Sundays — and, indeed, all of our days. The microcosm of Advent gives us opportunities to discern God’s call; to where we have left the path and to turn once again toward God’s vision.