Sermon.12.30.18 St. Paul’s Episcopal – Brookings Fr. Larry Ort Isaiah 61.10 -62.3; Psalm 147; Galatians 3.23-25; 4.4-7; John 1.1-18 Christmas! “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth” (John 1.14; NRSV). We have noted before that this is variously translated as “pitched his tent among us,” or as “dwelt among us.” One modern translation, The Message, uses the phrase “moved into the n

Sermon.12.24.18 Merry Christmas! When we hear these words, I suspect most of us have images of holiday merriment – of feasting, friends, family, singing carols, drinking some eggnog, giving and receiving presents. A few days ago, some of us rang bells for the Salvation Army’s Christmas Appeal. We greeted people with Merry Christmas and were greeted in return. While these connotations are good, there is one which is more excellent – it is connected with love, the more “excelle

Sermon.12.23.18 St. Paul’s Episcopal – Brookings Fr. Larry Ort Micah 5.2-5a; Psalm 80.1-7; Hebrews 10.5-10; Luke 1.39-55 It’s the fourth Sunday of Advent, and the emphasis is on God’s love. An attentive reading of the Scriptures reveals that God’s love to us often comes in highly unexpected ways; it sometimes breaks through when and where we least expect it. I suspect Micah’s prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Ephratha surprised more than a few people. Wo

Sermon.12.16.18 St. Paul’s Episcopal – Brookings Fr. Larry Ort Zephaniah 3.14-20; Canticle 9; Philippians 4.4-7; Luke 3.7-18 This Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, is Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is Latin for the exhortation: “Rejoice!” So that is the theme we should find in our readings. Let’s begin with the gospel. Well, you have to admit, John the Baptist started his sermon in a way that got their attention: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee the wrath to come? Bear

Sermon.12.09.18 St. Paul’s Episcopal – Brookings Fr. Larry Ort Baruch 5.1-9; Canticle 4 or 16; Philippians 1.3-11; Luke 3.1-6 The Lectionary Readings for today have a great deal to say about our human frailty and the need to prepare for the birth and the return of our King, the Lord Jesus Christ. The readings also reveal various Advent themes. Let’s begin with the Apocryphal book, Baruch, named for Jeremiah’s scribe. Tradition has it that Baruch wrote the book, but there is r

Sermon.12.02.18 St. Paul’ – Brookings Fr. Larry Ort Jeremiah 33.14-16; Psalm 25.1-9; 1 Thessalonians 3.9-13; Luke 21.25-36 Advent calls us apart to wait, to reflect upon God’s promises, to pray, to anticipate the celebration of Jesus’ birth, and to rekindle hope for Christ’s Second Coming wherein all things shall be renewed. We are called apart from the bustling activity of shopping for a Christmas tree and gifts, from decorating, from Christmas concerts, from attending parti