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My Christmas Eve Sermon - December 24, 2016 - Titus 2:11-14

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As a child I always loved Christmas so much.   It was for me then such a magical time of the year, and I suspect that our children and even the child still within us continues to enjoys the trimmings of this season – the lights, the cookies, the presents, the carols!   It all mixes together and can generate such excitement, especially in the children.   I remember, many, many years ago, when I was a child not being able to sleep at all on Christmas Eve.   One year I simply couldn’t stand it any longer so I go up out of bed, around 4:00 AM or so and slipped down to the living room where I proceeded to begin to tear through the packages with my name on them that were sitting under the tree.   Suddenly my dad showed up and sent me back to bed with orders to remain there until a “reasonable hour.”   A reasonable hour?   Now, exactly what is a “reasonable hour” on Christmas morning when you are a child? Of course, one of the things that made the wait especially difficult was the unce

My Sermon for Nov. 12/13 on the story of Zaccheaus - Luke 19:1-11

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You should read all of Luke 18 and 19 up to 19:11            Have you ever noticed that Luke seems to be obsessed with tax collectors and sinners – They are all over the place:             Jesus eats with them constantly             Jesus calls a tax collector to be a disciple             He uses them as examples in parables – in fact just a few verses before this story of Zaccheaus in chapter 19 we have the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee – do you remember that?             2 men go up to the Temple to pray – one (a Pharisee) prays – “I thank you Lord that my life is great, that I am a very religious person and that I am not like any of those loosers, like, for example, that tax collector over there…   And then standing afar off a tax collector cannot even raise his head and he prays, “dear Lord, be merciful to me a sinner!”   And who do you think left the temple with their sins forgiven?   The tax collector and not the Pharisee!             And here we ha

A Chorus of Praise – Sermon for Easter 5C

Psalm 148    Laudate Dominum   (From the Book of Common Prayer) 1        Hallelujah! Praise the L ord from the heavens; *       praise him in the heights. 2        Praise him, all you angels of his; *       praise him, all his host. 3        Praise him, sun and moon; *       praise him, all you shining stars. 4        Praise him, heaven of heavens, *       and you waters above the heavens. 5        Let them praise the Name of the L ord ; *       for he commanded, and they were created. 6        He made them stand fast for ever and ever; *       he gave them a law which shall not pass away. 7        Praise the L ord from the earth, *       you sea‑monsters and all deeps; 8        Fire and hail, snow and fog, *       tempestuous wind, doing his will; 9        Mountains and all hills, *       fruit trees and all cedars; 10      Wild beasts and all cattle, *       creeping things and wingèd birds; 11      Kings of the earth