Homilies from the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd

The disciples of Jesus spent a significant amount of time with him; living with him, eating with him, traveling with him. In all this time spent with Jesus, they got to know him. It’s likely that they were familiar with his mannerisms, his humor, his laugh, his voice, even his scent. Why, then, do they fail to discern him on the road to Emmaus? More significantly for us, why do we fail to discern Christ’s presence in our own lives?

“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. +In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

“What I am doing, you do not understand now, but afterward, you will understand.” In the name of the father of the son of the Holy Ghost amen.

On this holy night, we celebrate the institution of the Lord's supper. Before his passion and death, Jesus celebrated the Passover feast with his disciples. He took the bread and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22.19). Then he took the cup and said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant of my blood” (Luke 22.29). It was no accident that he instituted the Lord’s Supper at the Passover Feast of the Jews, signaling God’s plan and promise of salvation to all those who would believe in Him.

The Passover is that great feast in which the Israelites remembered the goodness and mercy of God as he delivered them in Egypt. They were commanded to kill a lamb, to shed its blood, to paint the blood of the Lamb upon their door posts. Those whose door posts had the blood of the Lamb were spared from God's wrath. This Passover feast foreshadows the true Passover that was to come in the person of Jesus Christ. For those who are stained with the Blood of Christ, God's wrath passes over them. Those who have faith in the Lamb and in his blood receive the gift of everlasting life. All of the sins of the world was laid upon him who was and is the perfect sacrifice and propitiation for us.

Saint Paul in his letter to the Corinthian Church reminds them of the words of our Lord, when he told his disciples to celebrate the great gift of holy Eucharist. Eucharist comes from a Greek word that means Thanksgiving. When we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, we perform an act of thanksgiving, just as Jesus did in the upper room with his twelve disciples. At that feast of Passover that Jesus was celebrating with his disciples, scripture tells us that Jesus took the bread and the cup and he gave thanks. He gave thanks to God for his providence, and he modeled for us what we are to do. He is the example of how we are to live. By his example, we are to live a life of Thanksgiving for all of God's goodness and grace. And above all, we should be thankful for the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sitting at the Passover meal, Jesus tells his disciples to continue the celebration of the holy Eucharist and remembrance of him. And this is what we're doing tonight. We are remembering that Christ gave himself for us. We remember that his blood was shed for us, and in so doing, in celebrating the Eucharist, we live a life of Thanksgiving. In the breaking of bread, he reveals himself to us, and in turn we should live a life of Thanksgiving. +In the name of…

The Psalms are a complex and beautiful set of books that are steeped in the Jewish faith and memory. They are also used by Christians to worship and pray.

Jesus will one day separate the goats from the sheep. To the sheep he will say, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father." To the goats he will say, "You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire." What makes a sheep? What makes a goat? Although Jesus will be the judge, he does leave us clues in the Gospel of St. Matthew. Whatever we do to the least of those in our midst, we have done unto Christ himself.

Jesus said, “keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day our Lord is coming.” from the 24th chapter of Saint Matthews Gospel in the name of the father and the son of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” The Cross is not defeat but victory—God’s love poured out for the salvation of the world. In this video, we reflect on Christ’s Passion, the power of the crucifixion, and how the Cross transforms shame into freedom and death into eternal life. Look upon the Cross and see God’s love that heals, saves, and draws us to Himself. #CrossOfChrist #JesusChrist #Crucifixion #GodsLove #PassionOfChrist #EternalLife #ChristianFaith #SalvationInChrist #ChristTheVictor #GospelMessage