SSJE Sermons

“The days and hours of Advent continue to invite us to the work of waiting and watching: by lamplight, by starlight, and in the darkness before dawn.” Br. Keith Nelson invites us to draw close and breathe in the rich fragrance and truth of three bold blooms, pointing toward the God for whom we wait in Advent.

“In looking at Mary we gaze not outwardly, or even upwardly, but inwardly to our own adoption as children of God because it is there that we find Mary’s true vocation, and ours as well, to be the adopted daughters and sons of God.” On the feast of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Br. James Koester connects our vocation to that of the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven – Mary of Nazareth – who began, as we all do, as a simple child of God.

“ There is nothing wrong with the desire to give gifts to one another, per se. There is nothing wrong with warming the dark, frigid nights of a northern December with song, festivities, fellowship, and lights, per se. These are all good things, to be sure, and doubtless God can speak some word of life to us through it all. Nevertheless, the moment our culture attaches the name of Jesus Christ to this prolonged cultural season of excess, I have to wonder if we are really being adequately prepared for the significance of Christmas.” Br. Sean Glenn invites us to experience the full-blooded, lean, and demanding season that is Advent.

“ In a moment when things are bleak, when hope is lost, when the future is unbearable, when all that is left is a dead, lifeless stump, Isaiah reminds God’s people that God will act, that a shoot shall come out of the stock of Jesse. This, after all, is the way of God. Life does emerge from death. Hope does spring up, when all seems hopeless. God will act, and righteousness and justice will be restored.” Br. James Koester unpacks Isaiah's vision of the peaceable Kingdom, which is the hope of Advent.

“We do not yet see the peace of God reigning among the nations of the world. We do not see that peace with justice that God has promised taking root in our own country, in our communities, or even in our churches. We may be tempted to complain and despair. But God calls us to live by God’s light, and not to dwell in the present darkness. God calls us to faith in this soaring promise of peace, and asks us to become peacemakers, wherever and however we can.” Br. David Vryhof reckons with Isaiah's vision of universal peace, which still beckons to us in our strife-torn world.

“There is for each of us a moment of encounter that, whether all at once or over the course of many years, changes who we imagine ourselves to be and who we imagine God to be. And while there are surely many other kinds of encounter along the spiritual road, Andrew’s story reminds us that our encounters with God will generally come to us through secondary causes—that is, in the concrete, flesh-and-blood lives of Image-bearing humanity. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Br. Sean Glenn invites us to remember with thanksgiving all those human feet who have brought us good news.

“We see Jesus reigning not from a throne in glory with majesty, but rather from a tree that has been cut and hewn into a device of torture meant for criminals. This is the good shepherd sent by God, the righteous Branch executing justice and righteousness in the land. This is Jesus, who Paul claims is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” On the feast of Christ the King, Br. Jim Woodrum marvels at the restoration our King brings, as we begin to see the divine image in ourselves.

“Since the beginning of the Christian Church, women and men of faith have suffered death at the hands of others, not as a sign of surrender, or defeat, but as a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. Like the Maccabeans, by their death, the martyrs declare that they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.” Why should we care about the Maccabeans? Br. James Koester unfolds the pattern they cast for people of faith.

“I felt broken. I felt destroyed. I felt like a demolished city, burnt to the ground. And it was horrifying. And it was good. Because the abject admission of weakness and vulnerability I encountered in this experience was the great clearing of the brush, the great pouring out of old and perishing things. I was shattered, and I was made new.” Br. Lucas Hall reflects on his own experience of conversion to cast light on the new life that can come with the destruction of false idols.

“As Christians it is important for us to be aware that the way in which we have catalogued our library of sacred texts is not an accident or by happenstance. It is on purpose. By doing it the way we have done, we are declaring, not only our expectation of the coming of the Saviour, but our proclamation that the Saviour has come, in the person of Jesus Christ.” Br. James Koester reveals the distinct purpose in the way our sacred texts have been catalogued.