Book: Luke

The Annunciation of our Lord to the Virgin Mary is an iconic moment in the Gospel narrative. And yet, it is an account that is frequently overlooked in Evangelical circles. Listen as the Rector explains all there is to be learned, Biblically and traditionally, from the Annunciation account.

We are assaulted every day by anxieties about our own lives and everything going on in the world. In Psalm 46, the LORD tells the Psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God.” In these words we can find great comfort, but we must first be willing to be still. We can take confidence knowing that God is in control as the great I AM.

Anyone can believe IN God, certainly a god of our own creation – we really enjoy doing that. What we fail at is BELIEVING God, that is, putting our faith in Jesus Christ to save us from our sins, and not trusting our own works. When we trust in Christ, His righteousness is imputed to us by faith. Listen as the Rector discusses God’s covenant with Abraham, and how God’s faithfulness requires that we not only believe in Him, but believe and trust Him fully.

We are assaulted by many temptations in our culture of ease and wealth to not really care about issues elsewhere in the world – we aren’t moved to the point where we might actually do something about it. We justify turning a blind eye to evil. What is the solution to this problem? We should observe the disciplines to which we are called in a holy Lent.

In Luke 9:28-36, we read an account of Christ’s Transfiguration, a revealing of His perfect holiness on earth. But what really is God’s holiness, and what does it mean for how we should worship Him?

We spend so much of our lives self-focused, but almost none of that time self-aware. We convince ourselves of lies about how we want people to see us, but we never confront the reality of who we really are in our sinful state. The Transfiguration of Christ gives us the perspective of God’s holiness, our depravity before Him, and our need for Jesus’s saving grace. When we fall prostrate before the Lord, we gain true perspective on how messed up we really are.

Beloved, we have been living in a spiritual drought in America for a long time. We need to seek out the right type of water to nourish us in times of drought, but as Jeremiah tells us, the heart is deceitful and desperately sick. Only God searches the heart and tests the mind, and only by trusting in him will our souls be refreshed.

In Luke 2:22-40, we receive the account of the infant Jesus presented at the temple by Joseph and Mary. While we may quickly read past this short account, there is actually a tremendous amount to be learned here.

How often do Christians share the Gospel? How often do we share it with our spouses, significant others, children, parents, friends, or coworkers? Sadly, not nearly enough. If the Church does not preach the Gospel, people will not believe, or they will believe the wrong thing. The Church cannot preach the Gospel enough. So why are we so afraid to share the Gospel?