Sermon: C Palm Sunday 24 March 2013

Is 50:4-9a; Ps 31:9-16; Ph 2:5-11; LUKE 22:14-23:56

Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of Christ’s suffering and also share in his resurrection. AMEN.

“Let the mountains and all the hills,

Break out into great rejoicing at the mercy of God.

And let the trees of the forest clap their hands.

Give praise to Christ, all nations,

Magnify him, all peoples, crying:

Glory to thy power, O Lord.

Seated in heaven upon thy throne

And on earth upon a foal, O Christ our God,

Thou hast accepted the praise of the angels

And the songs of the children who cried out to thee:

Blessed art thou that comest to call back Adam.” (From an Orthodox Hymn for Palm Sunday.)

Sermon: C 5 Lent 17 March 2013

Is 43: 16-21; Ps 126; Phil 3: 4b-14; JOHN 12: 1-8

Grant, O G*d, that our hearts may be fixed where true joys are to be found, through I X our Lord. AMEN.

Top o’ the morning to you, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day. It may seem odd to be deep in Lent and hear upbeat lessons. In today’s Gospel, Jesus does predict his death, saying Mary’s extravagant gift is for his burial, but this forewarning doesn’t bear the gloom of other predictions. Instead, in Mary and Martha’s dinner, we hear the promise of something new, fragrant, and remarkable. That’s the theme and tone of today’s readings: that promised change is both new and eternally wonderful. Not the Celtic northern sin and gloom outlook of Lent traditionally presented to us, leading to an almost morbid obsession with preparing for Good Friday, instead we hear genuine preparation for Easter.

Sermon: C 1 Lent 17 February 2013

Deut 26:1-11; Ps 91:1-.2, 9-16; Ro 10:8b-13; LUKE 4:1-13

God shall give the angels charge over you, to protect you in all your ways. AMEN.

 “Create and make in us new and contrite hearts…that we may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness…that [whenever we are] separated from the body of the faithful…[be] now reconciled…and restored to the fellowship of the Church…I invite you, therefore, (in case any didn’t hear this from Ash Wednesday) in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. This invitation to a holy Lent, the Great Litany’s “Spare us, Good Lord, whom you have redeemed,” and from this morning’s collect, “Come quickly to help us…and let each one find you mighty to save” propel us both into the readings and into Lent.

C Last Epiphany 10 February 2013

Ex 34: 29-35; Ps 99; 2 Cor 3: 12-4: 2; LUKE 9: 28-36

All of us, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. AMEN.

The final Sunday of Epiphany ends with the sight of the Transfiguration. “While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.’” The secret is out and known; everyone, one way or another, had been shown who Jesus is. From his baptism in the Jordan, to the wedding at Cana, and throughout the various scenes of recognition, it became clear to many people that Jesus was more than the carpenter’s son, more than an itinerant preacher, and more than just beloved of G*d. The baptism and this scene both include G*d’s speaking to Jesus. “This is my Son, my beloved. This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him.”

Ash Wednesday services

Our Ash Wednesday services will be held on February 13th at 12:15 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

For further information, please call 617-227-5242

Church of St. John The Evangelist
35 Bowdoin St.
Boston MA 02114

Where are we?

Michael D. Harnois

Passion Sunday B

St. John the Evangelist

1 April 2012

One of my many sinful pleasures is a comic strip called “Coffee with Jesus.” It runs on Facebook, although it can also be seen on the website of its two young creators, who call themselves Radio Free Babylon. It depicts the Jesus of portraits--long hair, beard, mustache, 30-ish--but neatly groomed in a jacket and tie, sharing a polite cup of coffee with one of a rotating group of companions. The strips range from the merely funny to the deeply cynical. One of my recent favorites goes like this:

Sermon B 5 Lent, 25 March 2012

In the name of God who creates, welcomes & loves us now & always. AMEN.

14 days to go. Are we more ready for Easter than last Sunday? How will we do this week to become more of the person we want to be to welcome the newly risen Lord then? In earlier church times, the 5th Sun. after Ash Wed., 2 weeks before Easter, was called Passion Sunday & the next Palm Sunday, because Lent was designed in 4 Sundays and 2 Sundays of the Passion to set the stage for the crucifixion with Jesus’ predictions and understandings and his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. The readings paint the mood, actions, and complexities for us and Jesus.