Preacher: The Rev. Scott Monson, Rector

Jesus’ teaching in John 6:56-69 is indeed difficult. But his words of spirit and life are a call to us to see and believe that he is truly the Son of the Living God. To be faithful disciples of Jesus, we too must proclaim with Peter, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

From the Garden of Eden to the Rose Garden, there’s ample evidence that human beings are far from perfect. We tend to inflate our self-worth but amplify the shortcomings of others. But recognizing our own faults helps us more easily accept the imperfections of others. God, through the working of the Spirit, helps us grow in acceptance, forgiveness and love of others—and ourselves.

Pentecost isn’t the birthday of the Church, it’s the first day of school. The Holy Spirit was given to be our guide, our advocate and our teacher to learn the will of God and help us better understand the lessons taught by Jesus. Like a loving parent, our heavenly Father wants us to learn, grow and thrive in our faith, and in our love for God and one another.

God’s love for us is wild, boundless and — well — just plain crazy. Despite our brokenness, recalcitrance and just plain bad behavior, God loves us whole-heartedly and unreservedly. God loves us so much that he lived, died and rose for us. And God loves us so much that he wants to be together with us forever.

Fr. Scott explores Philippians 2 to help us understand why Jesus had to die for us. And the answer is love.

From before the world began, God’s logos–God’s Word–has been with us. The Word became flesh so that we might begin to know the mind of God, the will of God, the love of God from the Son of God. ~ Sermon for the First Sunday after Christmas

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.”  John 1:6-9

The parable of the wise and foolish maidens seems to call upon us to watch and wait. But what do we do as we wait? Jesus calls us to action: to heal the sick, feed the hungry, comfort the broken, bring justice to the oppressed, to proclaim the Good News of new life in him.

From the dawning of creation, God’s Holy Angels have guarded, guided and protected us. ~ Sermon for the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels