Words of the Mouth and Meditations of the Heart

Sermon for Advent IV, 2023, delivered at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Louisville, KY. Text:  The Song of Mary ( Magnificat ) , Luke 1:26-38 In this morning’s first reading we heard, My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your victory. There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. If this sounds familiar, but not quite right, you are correct. This is actually the song of Hannah, one that Mary, the mother of Jesus, would have known. Hannah was the wife of Elkanah, and had not borne any children to him. In deep sadness, she went to the temple, and fervently prayed to God for children.The temple priest, Eli, assumed that she was drunk. He berated her, and she replied th...

Sermon for Advent III, 2023, delivered at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Louisville, KY Text: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 and John 1:6-8,19-28   This is the third Sunday in Advent, and we are drawing close to the birth of Jesus. The church is adorned in rose colors this morning, not because it looks fashionable, but because we are halfway through this season of preparation and celebration. Advent has an air of mystery surrounding it, because we celebrate the birth of the Messiah, the Christ child, a baby. We have all been around babies, and as adorable as they are, it is hard to conceive how a helpless baby can accomplish as much in the world as Jesus did. Only two of the four Gospels talk about Jesus’ birth and the other two start with his ministry in his adult life. Compare that to the adults we watched grow up, and it is a mystery how they live adult lives when we remember them as infants. This mystery is underscored by the beginning of winter, when we prepare for Christmas in the dark o...

Sermon for Advent I, 2023, delivered at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Louisville, KY Text: Mark 13:24-37 Winter is approaching, and the last of the leaves fell into my gutters at home, meaning that it was time to climb up on the roof and clean them out. And, as long as I was up there, I also put up some Christmas lights. The trees are bare and standing starkly against the cold sky, but in the Gospel reading, Jesus talks about the fig tree putting out new leaves. There has also been the familiar drop in temperatures and shortening days, but Jesus talks about summer approaching, with its warm temperatures and lengthening days. Some of this generation has passed away contrary to what Jesus says, notably my mother last January, and Maxine and Glenn Davis, members of this parish, and family members of St. Paul’s congregants. For some of us, this is our first Christmas season without them. Yet, Jesus’ words persist, and there is joy and anticipation when he talks about being the Son of Ma...