Category: Sermon

“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”

St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Beth Christianson

Endings and Beginnings

We are fast approaching the end of one season in our church year and the beginning of another. In Trinity season, we have been working our way slowly through Mark’s gospel, following Jesus as he taught, healed the sick, raised the dead, and annoyed the Pharisees. Only today and next Sunday remain before Advent begins again, and today is in fact our last day in Mark’s gospel. Continue reading “Trinity 25 – November 18, 2018”

St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Canon Claude Schroeder

Ordinarily, today we would have been attending to the cycle of readings appointed for Trinity XXIV in our church calendar.

But today is not an ordinary day.

Today is November 11, a day in our civic calendar that is given over to ceremonies and prayers in remembrance of the war dead.

We will be engaging in such a ceremony at the end of our service.

But this November 11 is also the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, and so it seemed good and right that we should interrupt our cycle of readings, and attend to the readings assigned for services for peace.

I want to begin this morning by discharging my duty and responsibility to you on this Remembrance Sunday to announce and declare to you the good news that the war is over. Continue reading “Remembrance Sunday – November 11, 2018”

St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Beth Christianson

With the verses of our Gospel lesson today, we have come to the end of this extended side excursion through John chapter 6. Why, in the midst of a year where we are reading through Mark’s gospel, have we spent the whole month of August on this one chapter of John’s gospel? Continue reading “Trinity 13 – August 26, 2018”

St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Canon Claude Schroeder

Sermon on 2 Cor. 5.6-19, Mark 4. 26-34.

in his Gospel, St. Mark is concerned to present and defend Jesus’ universal call, to men and women everywhere, to follow Him. Throughout this Trinity season we are going to be reading through St. Mark’s Gospel in church on Sunday mornings. The question before us is this, “What does it mean to follow a crucified and risen Savior, who is Jesus Christ?”

Today we are in the 4th chapter of St. Mark, which is given over entirely to a number of parables, of which we heard two: the parable of the growing seed, and the parable of the mustard seed. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, which is what we get in the parables, a short picture story, which was Jesus’ preferred method of teaching. Continue reading “Trinity 3 – Jun 17, 2018”