Reverend Neil Taylor - Podcast

τέλος [telos]

Read Matthew 5.38-48

Seventh Sunday After Epiphany (Year A)

The rules of this earthly kingdom are well known — it’s a dog-eat-dog world where only the strong survive. Jesus isn’t trying to modify the rules of the world. Jesus is not inviting us to figure out how to make the most of this world or how to live our best life now. And he’s not asking you to find a safe port amid the storms of this world. Instead, Jesus is starting a revolution by calling the rules of this world into question. And at the same time, redeeming this world that he loves.

Love and the Law

Read Matthew 5.21-37

Sixth Sunday After Epiphany

Let me start this morning by asking a question. What do you think of when you think of God? What picture comes to mind when you imagine what God is like?

I suspect that most of us carry around a picture of God or, in some sense, a view of what we think God is like. It’s a view that profoundly shapes what we expect from God. It’s a view of how we feel about our faith and perhaps even how we think about each other. A typical person or, for that matter, a typical congregational member, in some part or maybe even a significant portion, would picture God as an enforcer of rules. Or God as a law-giver. Or God as the one sitting in heaven with a perpetual finger upraised in a warning and perhaps accusation.

The Beatitudes | Developing Christian Character | Part 2

Read Matthew 5.1-12

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany

The focus and emphasis on Jesus’ words… and what his followers become… are on being rather than doing—this is an essential concept for us to understand. Jesus wants us to be something before he asks us to do something. That Jesus holds a greater weight on our character and identity; in other words, who we are rather than our actions. This is where the second half of the Beatitudes focuses—on our actions and conduct.

The Beatitudes | Developing Christian Character | Part 1

Read Matthew 5.1-12

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany

Matthew’s account of Jesus’ Beatitude goes deep into the core of Christian character and identity. The question that Jesus is asking is, “Who are you?” 

Jesus begins his sermon on the mount with the Beatitudes, eight statements that we have to be careful not to make some trite one-liners or something that we just put on the wall or the refrigerator door because it’s sweet and nice.

These eight statements that Jesus makes are critical… to comprehending Christian character and identity.

Let’s Go Fishing!

Matthew 4.19 ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’

Third Sunday After Epiphany

In our Gospel text, Jesus said, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ (Matthew 4:19), our part is to follow him, and his part is to make us fishers of people. So I challenge you this week to go ahead and put your hook in the water. And don’t be surprised if the fish bite all over the place.

Let’s go fishing for people this week!

He Who Baptizes with the Holy Spirit

Read John 1.25-34

Second Sunday After Epiphany 

The ultimate point of John’s testimony is that under God the Father, all things are from Christ, and all things are for Christ, including the Holy Spirit.

The main reason we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the great outpouring of the Spirit, and the great immersion of every part of our lives in the Spirit is because God’s aim, in every aspect of our lives, is the glory of Jesus Christ.

Revering Jesus So the Spirit Falls

Read Acts 10.36-48

First Sunday After Epiphany

Is there any correlation between the way Peter preached and the coming of the Holy Spirit in power? I believe the answer is YES. The correlation is that Peter painted such a picture of Jesus that the Spirit saw a very attractive opportunity to come and glorify the Son of God—which is what he is appointed to do. That is his mission. That's the essence of his ministry. So he is very likely to come in power when Jesus is lifted up in truth and made the centre of our focus. So if you want the Spirit's power in your life, I encourage you to make Jesus the centre of your life.

10km From Jesus

Read Matthew 2.1-6

Epiphany, January, 2023

How long would it take to walk 10km? If you’re fit and the terrain is relatively flat... you could walk it in a couple of hours. If you want to walk from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, it’s only 10km. So you could start in the morning... and be there in the afternoon. In January 2019, Giselle and I went on a 2-week Holy Land pilgrimage, and we realised that the land of Israel is tiny compared to Australia. The whole country is only about 22,000 square km.

Seven Christmas Day Meditations

Read Luke 2.2-20

Christmas Day, December 25, 2022

Have you ever felt, like me, tiny and insignificant in a world of 8 billion people? In a world where all the news is of big political, economic, and social movements. In a world where all the news is of outstanding people with lots of power, money and prestige? And if you have felt tiny and insignificant, don't let that make you disheartened or unhappy because it is implicit in the Bible that all the mammoth political forces and all the giant industrial complexes, without their even knowing it, are being guided by God. Not for their own sake but for the sake of God's people.

Immanuel

Read Matthew 1.18-25

Christmas Eve, December 24, 2022

Quoting from Isaiah 7:14, Matthew explains that while “Jesus” is his birth name, Immanuel is his factual reality. Whereas in the Old Testament, Immanuel was manifested by God’s spirit in a place, such as in the Holy of Holies or the burning bush, Immanuel is the factual reality of God’s manifest presence. Now God’s presence is manifested in a baby born in Bethlehem. So what was transient and temporary in the Old Testament — the dwelling of God’s Spirit with Israel — was now made permanent and eternal.

Immanuel — God With Us

Read Isaiah 7.14; Matthew 1.22-23

Advent 4, December 18, 2022

Who is that baby born on Christmas day? He is the divine Son of God from heaven who, in his earthly birth, took on a fully human nature. All that God is and all that man is meet in perfect union in Jesus Christ. He is fully God and fully man—the God-man who came to earth to save us from our sins.

“Are You the One?”

Read Matthew 11.1-3

Advent 3, December 11, 2022

A man called Thomas Flynn, a once author, journalist and executive director of the Council for Secular Humanism, who has now passed away used to explain to rational, freethinking people why they shouldn’t celebrate Christmas. As a secular humanist, Flynn urges other non-believers to ignore Christmas altogether: “If Jesus is not your Saviour, Christmas is not your holiday.”

Flynn had a point, after all Christians believe that over 2000 years ago something happened. Something supernatural. Something totally out of the ordinary. Something humanly unexplainable. We believe God invaded our world in the form of a tiny baby boy. Now that’s a stunning thought. Something happened that had never happened before. Something happened that has never happened since.

Reclaiming Repentance

Read Matthew 3.1-12; Isaiah 11.1-10

Advent 2, December 4, 2022

John’s baptism was unique. However, not the same as Christian baptism, but similar. This is where the controversy swirled around John’s baptism. The only people baptized in the Old Testament would have been Gentiles who had decided to become followers of God. This Old Testament baptism symbolized an acknowledgement of being an outsider, a need to repent of sins and proclaim faith and total dependence on God.

And so here is the uniqueness. The people baptized by John were not outsiders, not Gentiles, but devout Jewish people!

Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?

Read Matthew 24.36-51

Advent 1, November 27, 2022

Here’s the biblical balance as we await the return of the Lord; live as though he might come today. I do not claim to know when Christ will return, but I hope and pray that it will be soon.

It seems to me that many of the pieces are in place, the table is set, and we are not far from the moment when the curtain will rise on the final act of human history. Of this much, I am sure Jesus Christ is returning to Earth. I don’t know when Jesus is coming; it may be soon, maybe today. In the meantime, what should we do to be ready for his return? Matthew 24 has the answer:

• Live each day as though it might be your last—and one day, you’ll be right.
• Be faithful to do what God gives you to do each day, and if Jesus comes back on that day, you’ll be ready to meet him.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost”

Read Luke 19.1-10

Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost, October 30, 2022

There is no more pressing question today: why did Christ come to the earth? It is not enough to know who Jesus is. By and large, the world knows what Christians believe about Jesus. But what the world wants to know is why he came, and what difference does it make?

When Having It All Is Not Enough

Read Luke 18.18-27

Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost, October 23, 2022

It is impossible, Jesus said, for those who love their money to enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, we start to ask the same question the disciples asked in v. 26b “Who then can be saved?”

The answer comes in v. 27 ‘What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.’ The message is that even rich people can be saved if they give up their trust in their riches.

But the problem is that for the wealthy, money makes rich people feel so secure. Money makes rich people feel in control. And the message is yes; they can be saved, but they have to stop trusting in their riches and start trusting in Jesus Christ and him alone.

Every Day Acts of Faith

Read: Luke 17.1-10; Habakkuk 1.1-4, 2.1-4; Psalm 37.1-9; 2 Timothy 1.1-14

Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost

Kerygma vs Didache

Theologians use these imposing and distinct Greek words when explaining the church's ministry.

• Kerygma (or gospel proclamation) is used to ignite faith.
• Didache (or biblical and doctrinal teaching) is used to build up an understanding.

In preaching, it is essential to keep a balance between the two. However, the texts demand that we receive instruction (Didache) about the basics of the faith they seek to profess. The appointed readings for this Sunday give us an excellent opportunity to learn about the nature of faith.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Read Luke 16.19-31

Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost

A student once asked Swiss theologian Karl Barth whether the serpent literally spoke in the Garden of Eden. Barth answered, “The important point is not whether he spoke, but what he said.” And so this parable of Jesus is more than a mere explanation about the furniture in heaven and the temperature of hell.

Money, Relationships, and Jesus’ Most Confusing Parable

Read Luke 16.1-13

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

This gospel text is called "The Parable of the Unjust Steward". If you're not sure what to make of the parable from Luke 16:1-13 take some comfort because I've come across at least four interpretations of the parable that ends somewhere in v. 8

1. The children of the light Christians need to act more shrewdly.
2. Christians should make friends by "Unrighteous Mammon" or using the KJV "filthy lucre."
3. If you're not faithful with Unrighteous Mammon, who will trust you with the true riches?
4. You cannot serve two masters.

Part of the problem is that terms like "Unrighteous Mammon" and "true riches" are not made very clear, and how are we to make friends with "Unrighteous Mammon" that v. 9 says will welcome us into our eternal homes? But the most vexing question is why the rich man commended his dishonest manager. In this last question, we will hear the faint heartbeat of a challenging message in this passage of scripture.

”This Fellow Welcomes Sinners and Eats with Them.”

Read Luke 15.1-10

Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost

The Pharisees and scribes are grumbling about it: "What is he doing eating with the outcasts and the unimportant?" God intends for his house to be full and for his eternal food to be enjoyed. So God sends his Son to give his life as a ransom for many; the ransom (Jesus) is the one who was sacrificed in our place. The one who lived the life we should have lived: Jesus, our exemplar. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, personally called the guests to God's heavenly banquet. But the scribes and Pharisees are too much in love with the seats of honour, the ordinary things of this world, their fields, their oxen and their families. They are too much in love with their stuff to care much about heaven, to care much about people with bad reputations. So what does Jesus, our exemplar and the author and finisher of our faith, do? He goes to the roads and lanes to find the poor, the crippled the blind, the lame and the tax collectors and sinners, and he eats with them.

What Are We Without Our Stuff?

Read Luke 14.24-33

Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost, September 4, 2022

The early part of Luke 14 emphasises the redemption and freedom that Jesus brings and the inclusive nature of God’s kingdom. However, those inclusive and redemptive themes should not dull our sense that here in today’s Gospel texts are some hard sayings of Jesus. We would all prefer for the preacher to tell us about God’s covenant loyalty, His redemption, and salvation, but here’s where the rubber meets the road we cannot neglect what is expected from us (his followers) in return. Salvation in Jesus is not merely a transaction, it is a heart relationship, and no relationship lasts without loyal commitments and actions. Because the one who redeems us also calls us into costly discipleship. Jesus’ command to “Follow me” is both a gift and a demand.

Whom Should We Invite to Church?

Read Luke 14.1-14

Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost

Why does it make such an eternal difference whom you invite to church? It’s not so much that Sunday morning is all-determining or even that a church meeting is all-determining. It makes an eternal difference because, along with many other occasions, it reveals where our treasure is. Is Jesus, with his commands and promises, more valuable to us than tradition, convenience, and preference? Is Jesus our treasure? Or are the things and pleasures of this world our treasure? That question is not decided by you inviting someone to church—however, you should ask people to church—but by the question: is Jesus your treasure? Which is determined hour by hour and day by day as to whether we are willing to inconvenience ourselves for those who can’t repay or whether we avoid them, and so preserve our placid routine.

Is Jesus our treasure? Or are the things and pleasures of this world our treasure?

 

Jesus on Men and Women, and Expressing Honour

Read Luke 13.10-17

Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost

Jesus is on the offensive here. He has something he wants to say. He wants to say something about the Sabbath day and what it means to keep it holy. He wants to say something about the synagogue leaders’ hypocrisy; men who water their oxen on the Sabbath but get twisted and bent out of shape at Jesus’ healing. And he has something he wants to say about women and men.

Pray Like Jesus Prayed

Read Luke 11.1-4

Seventh Sunday After Pentecost

The Lord's Prayer is not a set or group of words to be recited. The Lord’s Prayer is a gift of example/pattern/standard. Jesus intended that this pattern would be personalised and retaught by faithful men and women until he returned. When you pray, pray like this.

Let us drill down and unpack together and find out what it means to pray like Jesus prayed. What would that look like in our lives? What should we say? What are the things we should do? 

We’re going to see 5 things that Jesus asks of us as we spend time with God in prayer.

One Thing

Read Luke 10.38-42

Sixth Sunday After Pentecost

There is nothing complicated about this text. The words are straightforward, and there are no unusual theological problems. Jesus comes to the home. Martha reacts one way and Mary another, and Jesus comments on the difference. That is all there is.

Yet this simple story has confused and sometimes frustrated people. Perhaps because of its simplicity, the urge to take sides is almost irresistible. Which sister was right? Was Martha justified in what she said? Should Mary have done more than sit at Jesus’ feet? And behind those questions are deeper issues involving personal identity, individual preferences and what it means to truly give, and how we can best serve the Lord.

The Samaritan

Read Luke 10.25-37

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Do you love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul, strength and all your mind? Is your whole person completely focused on God?

“Your religion is what you do with your solitude” – Archbishop William Temple (1881-1944)

What does that mean? William Temple is saying when there are no distractions in your life, when you have time to let your mind wander, where does it go? Does it go the excellences’ that are God? Do you begin to think about the glory of God and His salvation naturally? Or does it go somewhere else? Career; sport; sex; family; money, where ever it goes, William Temple said that’s your religion, that’s your God.

Only a New Creation Counts

Read Galatians 6.11-18

Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

Over the years, I have had this discussion with people many times, and that is how strange and how not so strange it is that the more mature you become as a Christian, the less worthy you feel. It seems strange because the closer you come to Christ, the more his character rubs off on you. But it's not so strange because the closer we get to the real beauty of Christ, the more obvious and uglier our remaining sin appears. So we who are Christ-followers are destined for now to live with a mingling of joy and remorse.

Freed to Love

Read Galatians 5.13-14

Third Sunday after Pentecost

God has called us to the freedom of fullness which overflows in love, not to the slavery of emptiness which bites and devours and is never satisfied. In Jesus Christ, God offers us forgiveness daily help and guidance and hope for the greatest future imaginable and it is all free purchased by the death of Jesus received by faith alone. The secret of love is freedom and the secret of freedom is utter confidence in the love of God.

Christ Redeemed Us From The Curse Of The Law

Read Galatians 3.10-1

Second Sunday after Pentecost

 

Fighting the good fight of faith is:

• Do I believe that when Jesus died, all my "curse" was lifted so that I could say, "What can mere mortals do to me" (Hebrews 13.6; Romans 8.31–34; Psalm 118.6-7)?
• Do I believe that the death of Jesus is the pledge of God to withhold no good thing from those who trust him (Psalm 84:11; Romans 8:32)?
• Do I believe all things work together for my good (Romans 8:28)?

This is the struggle of the everyday Christian life; it is our most important work every day. How we keep our day's activities from becoming works of the law, and how to live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us to redeem us from the curse of legalism.

 

 

The Longest Distance In The World Is 47cm (18 inches)

Read Romans 5.1-8

Trinity Sunday, June 12, 2022

“God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

God’s love poured into your heart is not the same as God’s love proven to your mind. The longest distance in the world is 47cm, or in the old language 18 inches. That is the distance from the head to the heart. That is also the distance from heaven to hell. God’s love poured into your heart is a real heart experience of being loved by God. God’s love proven to your mind is the conclusion of an argument, with or without the sweetness of feeling loved by God in your heart.

 

This Is What Was Spoken Through the Prophet Joel

Read Acts 2.1-21 & Joel 2.28-32

Pentecost Sunday

The two questions I want to try to answer:

1) What did Joel mean when he predicted this outpouring of God's Spirit before the great and terrible day of the Lord?

2) What is the fuller significance of this event now as we view it from the standpoint of New Testament revelation?

Theology at Midnight

Read Acts 16.16-34

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Anyone can sing “Shine, Jesus, Shine” when life is good when you’ve got money in the bank, when your marriage is strong and when your job is secure, when you love your church, and all is right with the world. If, with Paul and Silas, you can sing praise to God at midnight in jail, then what you’ve got is real. Not only will you discover what you believe in times of trouble, but that’s when the world discovers what you believe.

Restored for the Sake of Righteousness

Read John 5.1-18

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Our Gospel passage today is impressive in what it shows us about Jesus, but it also shows us and gives us pause to think that despite Jesus’ power to heal, our world is still riddled with sin, disease, calamity, and death.

”Love One Another As I Have Loved You”

Read John 13.31-35

Fifth Sunday of Easter

The verse that I want to focus on is John 13.34.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

This morning we’re going to look at one verse and one question, and that is what’s new about the commandment to love each other?

Jesus is Alive!

Read Acts 9.23-43

Fourth Sunday of Easter

One of the most devastating feelings in the Christian life is fatalism, and that is the feeling that this is the way it will be forever and nothing is going to change it.

However, one of the enduring messages of the book of Acts is that this is not true. Jesus Christ is not dead, he is not distant, not silent, not weak, and he is not uninterested in the world and the progress of his mission, and he is defiantly not uninterested in you. Jesus is alive, and what he began to do in his earthly life, he is continuing to do. He is full of surprises for his church, nations, families, and individual people.

Leading by Feeding

Read John 21.15-19

Third Sunday of Easter

On Tuesday morning, the churchwardens and I talked about the year so far, and we got into an excellent conversation about “what initiates church growth? We identified having a professional and informative website helps. Having a presence on social media with good branding helps. Make sure families with children feel welcome, and finally, essential church growth happens, when leaders are feeders—when God’s people step up and take ownership of God’s mission.

This is the central point of Jesus’ conversation with Peter; that the pastoral priority of the church is to lead and feed. When that is a priority in the church's life, growth and new life ensue.

Doubters Welcome

Read John 20.24-29

Second Sunday in Easter

In the history of the Christian church, the greatest doubters have often become the strongest believers. That is why the story of Thomas is in the Bible—so that honest doubters might be encouraged to bring their honest doubts to the empty tomb. Thomas did that, and his doubts were washed away by the person of Jesus Christ—alive from the dead.

 

What God Remembers That We Ignore

Read Psalm 103.6-18

Easter Sunday

What is Psalm 103 telling us about Easter? We’re richer than we think, we’re more blessed than we know, and we have more than we realise.

We frail, mortal sinners are rich in the mercy of God, and we have found that mercy, or rather, that mercy has found us in the cross of Jesus Christ.

This Easter morning, all that we believe, all that we have,  all that we hope for is found in the cross of Christ and at the empty tomb.

Why We Call the Worst Friday ‘Good’

Good Friday, April 15, 2022

It was the single most horrible day in the history of the world. No incident has ever been more tragic, and no future event will ever match it. No surprise attack, no political assassination, no financial collapse, no military invasion, no atomic detonation or nuclear warfare, no cataclysmic act of terrorism, no large-scale famine or disease — can eclipse the darkness of that day. No suffering has ever been so unfitting. No human has ever been so unjustly treated, because no other human has ever been so worthy of praise. No one else has ever lived without sin. No other human has ever been God himself. No horror surpasses what transpired on a hill outside Jerusalem almost two millennia ago, and yet we call it “Good” Friday.

The Misunderstood Messiah

Read Isaiah 53.1-3

Palm Sunday

Jesus was indeed the misunderstood Messiah. His own people misread him completely; they had him in a box labelled “Insignificant Rabbi from Nazareth”; the more he proved he didn’t belong in that box, the more they hated him, counted him a nobody and ultimately despised him. No wonder they were so rabid to kill him in the end. Jesus is still misunderstood today. The greatest mistake is to ignore him as if he doesn’t matter or to think that you can postpone a decision.

Judas, Leave Her Alone — This Is For My Burial

Read John 12.1-8

Fifth Sunday in Lent

What a beautiful story and a lovely thing when the worth of Jesus and his followers' love match — when the value of his perfections and the intensity of our affections correspond. Let's take a slow walk through these eight verses and ponder what they mean to us.

How’s Your Life?

Read Revelation 2.1-7

Seventh Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

In one or two words I’d like you to think how can you describe a love that has vitality. In contrast, maybe also think about how you’d describe a love that is tired. Tired doesn’t mean old; in the same way as vital doesn’t mean young. Although sometimes it can seem that way.

Therefore, what do we believe about love? We know that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. This is a great introduction for many to the Christian story, that God is love, and in, and through that love, God gave us Jesus our Redeemer.

So I want to challenge you if you are a follower of Jesus because this great redeeming love is reciprocal.

Why Some People Don’t Catch Fish

Read Luke 5.1-11

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

I heard a story once about an old Methodist preacher who every time he preached, someone would give their life to Jesus. But when his young assistant would preach, no one would come forward and give their life to Jesus. After a year, the young minister went to him for some clarity and some coaching. The wise old minister asked his young protégé, "When you preach, what do you expect to happen?" She thought about it and said, "I expect to tell the Good News. I expect to be eloquent and to enlighten people." He said, "You are doing those things. But when I preach, I expect to win people to Jesus Christ, that's all."

Love Never Ends

Read Jeremiah 1.4-10; Psalm 71.1-6; 1 Corinthians 13.1-13; Luke 4.21-30

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

These texts are rich with power and images that tell God’s continuous story in the world. And that is, we all share a call to be God’s prophets in the world, even though that can be a terrifying thing at times.

There is a God-given invitation before us:

• To join together to embody Paul’s prophetic words more fully
• To explore just how much a part of the Jesus-rejecting crowd we can be
• Sing the song of reclaiming joy just as the Psalmist did
• And finally, allow the Holy Spirit to stir something in you as you seek to speak God’s word

A Peculiar Power

Read Luke 4.14-21

Third Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

When you hear the word “power”, what comes to mind? Is it significant influence or wealth as one who strides down the “corridors of power”? Or is it great physical strength? 

Let’s think about the line that introduces our gospel passage, “Then Jesus, filled by the power of the Holy Spirit…”. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus does what he does and says what he says precisely because he is filled with power great power the power of the Holy Spirit.

What Grace Looks Like

Read John 2.1-11

Second Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

John’s Gospel reminds us that grace isn’t just a religious ideology, that grace isn’t only about making up for something we lack; it is not transactional. God’s grace, and only God’s grace, provides more than we’d ever imagine or deserve.

A More Meaningful Baptism

Read Luke 3.15-22

First Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

Though conducted only once, baptism was never intended to be a one-and-done event. Our baptism is something we remember and renew daily, baptism like marriage may be a one-off event, but it is lived out daily.

Christmas Day

Read Luke 2.1-20

Christmas Day

For years I have wondered whether the Christmas Day sermon is of any consequence. I’ve wondered if we’re better off reading or telling Luke’s account of the Nativity of our Lord well, and allowing the carols, the candles, and Christ incarnate in bread and wine to proclaim what Luke 2:10-11 says:

[the] “good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”  

Quite frankly, that would be enough.

Declare that the Dawn is Coming

Read Luke 1.67-79

Christmas Eve

Zechariah saw a significant purpose in his son’s life. People wondered, “What then will this child be?” John grew to be the voice in the wilderness that cried out, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”

As we reflect this Christmas Eve on Zechariah’s song of praise, what then will you be? For what purpose have you been created?

A Different Kind of Hero

Read Luke 1.39-45

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year C)

As Mary meets with her cousin Elizabeth the intimate conversation that follows portrays Jesus as more important than John. It also shows God is already at work to overturn the world’s structures and expectations.