This Sunday's sermon is given by The Rev. Jason Tardiff, a Benedictine Father of the AOCC and co-director of the Benedictine House of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Bedford/Fort Worth, Texas. Father Tardiff is also the Chancellor of the Diocese of Texas.
The introduction in John is a various recognizable. Most have heard the phrase "In the beginning was the Word..." It reminds us that God has always been and will always be. But little did we realize that the Child heralded and born in a stable would also factor into this famous phrase.
The Word was sent to be one of us, live as one of us to save us from ourselves.
Jesus came to us when we needed him most. He taught us about the way to salvation, how to know God and how to live a good life. He also took in him the sins of the world and those inequities were expunged when he died on the cross. Not anyone could have done what Jesus did.
Christmas isn't just a time to open presents and gorge ourselves on sugary foods. Christmas is much more than that. It is a time for us to reflect on the "gift" God gave us: the Gift that saved us from ourselves.
Christmas is also a time to reflect on how we factor into Gods plan. Have we done all we could to live the way God expects us to? Have we been kind, gentle, compassionate and caring? What can we do different in the year to come?
Christmas is not just one day and then you take your ornaments down and go back to work. No, there are twelve days that we can pray, worship and glorify the Son of God. And in those twelve days we can resolve to live more like him. And the Christmas spirit does not dissolve at midnight on the 25th of December. We need to remember the feeling of giving and helping those in need and do it everyday. We need to make it Christmas every single day of the year.
Amen.
The Word was sent to be one of us, live as one of us to save us from ourselves.
Jesus came to us when we needed him most. He taught us about the way to salvation, how to know God and how to live a good life. He also took in him the sins of the world and those inequities were expunged when he died on the cross. Not anyone could have done what Jesus did.
Christmas isn't just a time to open presents and gorge ourselves on sugary foods. Christmas is much more than that. It is a time for us to reflect on the "gift" God gave us: the Gift that saved us from ourselves.
Christmas is also a time to reflect on how we factor into Gods plan. Have we done all we could to live the way God expects us to? Have we been kind, gentle, compassionate and caring? What can we do different in the year to come?
Christmas is not just one day and then you take your ornaments down and go back to work. No, there are twelve days that we can pray, worship and glorify the Son of God. And in those twelve days we can resolve to live more like him. And the Christmas spirit does not dissolve at midnight on the 25th of December. We need to remember the feeling of giving and helping those in need and do it everyday. We need to make it Christmas every single day of the year.
Amen.
