Category: Sermon

Canon Claude Schroeder (Luke 9-51-62)

In our Gospel today Luke tells us, “When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” This marks the beginning of what the bible scholars call the “Travel Narrative” in St. Luke’s Gospel, in which, over the course of ten chapters Luke tells us what happened as Jesus left Galilee with his disciples, and walked down the pilgrimage route to Jerusalem. Starting today and continuing to the end of November, we are going to be taking in some of the highlights of Luke’s Travel Narrative, which is for us an extended teaching on the Christian life, what does it mean for us to follow Jesus on His journey to Jerusalem?

Continue reading “Trinity 2 – June 30, 2019”

St. Mary’s Anglican Church – Revd. Canon Claude Schroeder

Well, for the last six weeks since Easter Sunday we have been proclaiming and celebrating in church the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead. And we are not quite finished yet! Alleluia, Christ is Risen!….

And then last Thursday, the 40^th day after Easter, we celebrated the Ascension of Jesus into heaven.

For those who missed the service, happily for us at St. Mary’s, there is no avoiding the Ascension of Jesus Christ. It is something that literally stares us in the face every Sunday morning, in the window above the altar.

At our open house Saturday before last, I explained to the people on the church tour, that in the Ascension Jesus does not become the world’s first astronaut, blasting off the earth and going up into heaven out there somewhere beyond the stars. The Ascension is Jesus into heaven is His entry into the eternity of God.

Continue reading “Sunday after Ascension – June 2, 2019”

Creation and New Creation – Beth Christianson

Well, we are now coming up on the end of the Easter season. This Thursday will be AscensionDay, the 40th day after Easter. Ten days after that, the 50th day after Easter, is Pentecost Sunday. There has been a tradition in the church since the 5th century that the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Ascension are Rogation Days. Over time, this Sunday has been attached to those Rogation Days, becoming known as Rogation Sunday.

Continue reading “Easter 5 / Rogation Sunday – May 26, 2019”

St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Canon Claude Schroeder

Today, Palm Sunday, marks the beginning of what in traditional Christian churches is called Holy Week. It is the most spiritually intense week of the year for Christians. It’s the time of year we seek to enter more deeply into the mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection. To set the scene we just heard St. Matthew’s account of the Passion of Christ. If we were to follow the plan as it is laid out in the Book of Common Prayer, we would be back in church every day this week, where in the service of Holy Communion on Monday and Tuesday we would read through Mark’s account of the Passion; Wednesday and Thursday we would read through Luke’s account of the Passion; and on Friday, Good Friday, we would bring have the climatic reading of the Passion according to John. That’s pretty intense.

Continue reading “Palm Sunday – April 14, 2019”

“Good Parenting 101” – Beth Christianson

In lots of ways, I still consider myself to be pretty new to this Anglicanism thing. Before I began coming to church at St. Mary’s, my impression of the Anglican church was synonymous in my mind with England and Englishness. But I’ve learned a lot about our rituals, our church calendar, the festivals and feasts and fasts we observe, and I’ve come to appreciate how much deeper into the history of the Church our Anglican roots go. The lectionary we are following in Lent dates all the way back to the 5th century. We share feasts and fasts with other liturgical churches, holy days which Christians have been observing for nearly all of our history.

Continue reading “Mothering Sunday – March 31, 2019”

St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Canon Claude Schroeder

Sermon on Matthew 15. 21-27

The Gospel lessons in the first three Sundays in Lent comprise what we might call a mini course in demonology. Everything you wanted to know about demons but were afraid to ask. Well, may not everything you wanted you needed know about demons.

So last Sunday Jesus goes into the wilderness and is tempted by the devil himself on three separate occasions, which serve to inform our understanding of the triple renunciations Christians make in Holy Baptism.

Today we have the story of the Canaanite woman whose daughter was tormented by a demon.

Continue reading “Lent 2 – March 17, 2019”

St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Canon Claude Schroeder

Sermon on Matthew 4. 1-11.

The Gospel lesson for the First Sunday of Lent is the same every year. It’s the story of how Jesus after His Baptism was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he fasted 40 days and 40 nights and was tempted by the devil.

Starting today and for the next two Sundays we are going be considering the reality of demonic temptation, which are the obstacles that we face on our journey to Jerusalem where at Easter we will celebrate the Paschal Feast of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

For converts to Christianity preparing for baptism at Easter, these lessons would have been very instructive. Christian baptism begins with a triple renunciation of the demonic powers of the world, the flesh, and the devil. But just because in baptism and in confirmation you renounced the demonic powers and received the Holy Spirit, doesn’t mean that the demonic powers are going to leave you alone. St. Peter, in a letter to the newly baptized, wrote, “Be sober, be watchful, your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith. (1 Peter 5, 8,9)

Continue reading “Lent 1 – March 9, 2019”

St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Rev’d. Canon Claude Schroeder

Sermon on John 1:19-29; Philippians 4:4-7

Today, we are nearing the end of our journey through Advent.

But we started our service today, as we have throughout Advent, in the dark.

The ringing of the Advent bell comes to us both as a “wake up call” but also as ‘warning chime,’ as we will sing in our offertory hymn today.

And were given once again, in the hauntingly beautiful chant tones of the Advent Prose, to confess and lament the wreckage that sin has brought about in our lives, and in our relationships, in our marriages, in our families, in our communities, and also in the Church.

And so were also given to express our deep longing and need for “the heavens to drop down from above, and the heavens to pour down righteousness.”

This is Advent.

The root of that word “righteousness” is the same root for the word “justice.”

Continue reading “Advent 4 – December 23, 2018”

St. Mary’s Anglican Church – Canon Claude Schroeder

Sermon on Matthew 11:2-10; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you be of good cheer
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

It’s the hap-happiest season of all…

I’m sorry. I just can’t do this. Besides, you did not come to church today to hear me sing that song, did you? I would hope not.

It’s Advent after all, and Advent, as I read this week, offers a resounding ‘No’ to sentimentalized Christmas cheer, instead, invites us to name our sorrows, lament unfulfilled longings, pay attention to the pain of waiting in the wilderness — all with quiet hope. “Advent begins in the dark.” (Duke Kwon) Continue reading “Advent 3 – December 16, 2018”

St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Canon Claude Schroeder

Sermon on Luke 21:25-33

Advent is the time in the Church when we focus on the promise of Jesus’ coming.

The Collect for Advent declares, “He came to us in great humility and He will come again in his glorious Majesty to judge both the living and the dead.” In between these two comings, there is a third coming and that is His coming to us right here, and right now.

Continue reading “Advent 2 – December 9, 2018”