St George's Sermon Blog

Isaiah 9:2-7; Luke 2:1-20 On this holy night “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness--on them light has shined.” On this holy night we come together in the gathering dark to celebrate the coming of a of a new light into the world, Jesus Christ our Lord. Tonight, we remember that Jesus Christ took on flesh and was born as one of us, that God has chosen to become incarnate and dwell among us.   Tonight, a new light dawns, and we hear again the ancient story of salvation coming into the world as we welcome the coming of the Lord. And tonight we hear again that enduring message of hope, this ancient story passed down year after year, generation after generation for millennia, this message that has survived wars and persecutions, misunderstandings and heresies, exclusion and cooption, this message that shows us that love wins, in the face of every barrier, even in face of indescribable evil, hope always finds a way to su...

Isaiah 7:10-16, Romans 1:1-7, Matt 1:18-25           So today is the fourth and final Sunday in Advent.   Christmas is in 3 days.   Are you ready do you feel prepared?   I’m sure that some of you feel you have the season well in hand.   Presents bought and wrapped, travel plans and schedules complete, cooking, baking and cleaning well under way and so on.   Others like me, may still feel a bit behind, overwhelmed and unsure what even still needs to get done, much less whether we will actually do it .   I have always admired those people who manage to get all their Christmas shopping done in October.   Because whether we are having a big extravagant family Christmas or a quiet time at home with some much needed relaxing it pays to be prepared.           And our bible readings for today seek to make sure we are prepared for Christmas too but in a way that has no...

Matt 11:2-11 This is the 3 rd Sunday in Advent, or to the rest of the world, only 10 shopping days left until Christmas, and inevitably, expectations are mounting as the seasonal frenzy really gets into full swing.   Parties, Concerts, family get togethers, great food, presents, there are so many great things coming up in the next 2 weeks. But for all the joy and hype of the season, sometimes it can feel like there is an awful lot of stress and pressure that comes along with all these heightened expectations.   And with all the running around trying to meet all of these demands and expectations for the season, it can often leave us feeling a bit let down by the end of it.   Or like our expectations never quite come true.   In the season of Advent, we prepare for the Lord’s second coming and for his coming at Christmas, yet it never quite comes out as we think.   It is so hard for to live up to our own heightened expectations of this season.   Yet the...

  Isaiah 11:1-10, Matt 3:1-12 See everyone stayed home last week when I liked the lessons, and now this week, you all come back to this messy set of readings, especially this doozy of a Gospel reading.   We all have to admit, John’s entry into the Christmas narrative tends to feel a bit jarring.   We are so used to the prince of peace and glad tidings of great joy.   Festive readings and joyous carols.   Instead today we encounter John wailing in the dessert.   Demanding repentance and calling those who came out to see him a brood of vipers.   It doesn’t exactly seem like a great evangelism tool and it is certainly not what we are used to when we think about Jesus coming into the world. But John’s message is critically important for those who came to him, and for us and for the whole world to hear, especially at this time of the year.   And while John’s approach may make us a bit uncomfortable, that is the point.   Because it is importa...