A sermon from Dcn Bryan Myron

God is both with us and in us. Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God and head of the Church, empowers us to endure trials and serve in love. Through his death and resurrection, we who were once alienated have been reconciled and made holy. The Christian life flows not from self-effort, but from the indwelling presence of Christ—our constant hope and strength.

a sermon from Fr. Nathan

Even now there is a domain of darkness in our world and in our hearts, seen in selfishness, violence, and the delight we sometimes take in others’ downfall. Yet Paul, writing from prison, reminds the Colossians that the simple Gospel of Christ’s love and forgiveness is enough to break this darkness and fill us with hope, strength, and joyful endurance. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God has delivered us from the dark reign of self-centeredness into his Kingdom of light, where love rules and mercy overcomes old hostilities. So we walk as citizens of light—freely forgiving, loving even enemies, and letting Christ shine through us into a darkened world.

a sermon from Fr. Nathan

Zechariah 12:8–10; 13:1

Luke 9:18–24

a sermon from Dcn Bryan

In this season of Ordinary Time, we are invited into a Spirit-filled life of steady growth, marked presence, practice, and pace—a call to live out our faith in the dailiness of work, family, and witness. As Zechariah and Luke remind us, the Spirit opens our eyes to behold the pierced One, and it is there at the cross that true discipleship begins: in repentance, cleansing, and cruciform love. The Spirit empowers us to take up the cross daily—not as a burdensome ritual, but as a joyful surrender to Christ’s Lordship and a participation in His redemptive suffering. And so, as a community, let us move forward together with intention, journaling our journey, sharing our prayer is, and proclaiming with our children, “I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me.”

a sermon from Fr. Nathan

John 16:5-15

The Triune God is a sending God—Father sending Son, Son sending Spirit—always on the move for the life of the world. In the disciples’ sorrow and our own, Jesus promises the Spirit who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and unveils the self-giving life of the Father. Through the cross, resurrection, and ascension, what looked like loss becomes our greatest advantage: forgiveness secured, death defeated, and the very presence of God poured into us. Now that same Spirit propels us into everyday mission—embodying sacrificial love, confronting false sources of life, and drawing our neighbors into Christ’s glory.

a sermon from Fr. Nathan

The disciples waited, expectant and ready, until the Spirit came with wind and fire—disruptive, holy, and alive. Pentecost broke every barrier with God’s presence and purpose. The Spirit still empowers the Church today, giving gifts not for personal fulfillment but for the common good and faithful Gospel witness.

Acts 16:16–34 | Psalm 68:1–20 | Revelation 22:10–21 | John 17:20–26

a sermon from Fr. Koos

God calls us to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves, yet from the fall in Genesis onward, we have failed to live these commandments, breaking unity with God and one another.

Even when evil communities form, like the slave owners in Philippi or the builders at Babel, they ultimately fall apart because evil is self-destructive and cannot sustain true community.

In the Acts reading, we see how Paul and Silas, though beaten and imprisoned, through prayer and worship helped form a new, joyful community centered on love for God and neighbor — a small fulfillment of Jesus’s high priestly prayer that we may all be one.

Only through Christ in us, by His grace, can we live the two great commandments, become truly united, and be given the right to the tree of life and the promise of eternal life.

a sermon from Bishop Ben Fischer at the Ordination of Steward Toliver to Diaconate

Like Jeremiah, who felt unqualified and tried to disqualify himself, Steward has at times seen his own limits — but God does not wait for us to be equipped before He calls; He calls, then equips, putting His word into our hearts and mouths. Tonight we acknowledge not that Steward is elevated above others, but that he has been called to model the ministry of submission, selfless service, and self-emptying love, showing both the church and the world what it looks like to surrender to Christ.

a sermon from Fr. Nathan

Acts 14:8–18 | Psalm 67 | Rev 21:1–4, 22–27; 22:1–5 | John 14:21–29

God continually reveals himself to the world and to his people, sometimes through mighty acts like creation, healing, or preaching, yet we often get distracted and mistakenly worship the gifts rather than the Giver. Even good things like nature, emotional worship, or miracles can become idols when we lose sight of the God behind them. In Acts, Paul and Barnabas heal a man by Christ’s power, but the crowd misinterprets it, seeing the apostles as gods — a reminder that humans easily misdirect worship. Christ comes to clarify our confusion, drawing us back to himself, the true source of life, healing, and worship.

a sermon from Fr. Nathan

The early church experienced both acceptance and rejection, with some who considered themselves closest to God missing the Gospel because they were entrenched in traditional ways—a reminder that we too must humbly accept the challenging, scandalous message of grace and mercy. In Acts 13:44–52, Paul and Barnabas were rejected by religious leaders out of jealousy, yet this did not stop them from proclaiming the Good News to the Gentiles, fulfilling God’s promise of salvation to the ends of the earth. The Risen Christ fulfills this redemptive promise, inviting all who believe in him to receive forgiveness and eternal life, an expansive invitation that defies our expectations and prejudices. As we continue Christ’s mission, we must prepare for both rejection and rejoicing—declaring the Gospel in word and proving it in deed, accepting that grace may reach those we least expect, and celebrating with Christ when sinners turn to him and live.