Rev Chris Roth

Revelation 1: 4b-8; John 18: 33-37 Today is “Christ the King” Sunday, or “Reign of Christ” Sunday. It marks the very end of the church calendar. It brings us to the ultimate pinnacle of history, which is the recognition of all of creation that Christ is the ruler of all. This Sunday points to the day when all things will be put under his kingship. God’s kingdom, which is here in part, but not yet fully here, will one that day grow to engulf all of creation. On that day all things will be as they should be. Our reading from Revelation says that Jesus is “the ruler of the kings of the earth” and that when he comes “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”. Even his enemies, those who rejected him, will recognize him for who he is. In our Gospel reading Jesus stands before one of those enemies. As a prisoner, standing before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, Jesus is asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?” It is a small question. “Are you claiming some kind of leadership among...

  Hebrews 10: 11-25; Mark 13: 1-18 The letter to the Hebrews is written by someone who knows the Apostles, and is written to people who have a very in-depth knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures. So, we can pretty safely assume that this is written to Jewish followers of Jesus. Most of the letter compares Jesus to four aspects in Israel’s history, and makes the comparison that Jesus is superior to all these previous ways that God has revealed Himself, and paths that have been given to Israel. The author also gives warnings as a part of the comparisons. [1] Our reading completes these comparisons. In chapters 1-2 Jesus is compared with angels and the Torah. (The Torah is the Law given to Moses on Mt. Sinai). It was believed that angels delivered the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and the author is saying that Jesus and his Gospel are superior to this previous message. What Jesus teaches is more important than what the angels communicated to Moses on Mt. Sinai. … Israel was direc...

Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21:1-6; John 11:32-44 Today we are celebrating the feast of All Saints. It is a celebration that started in the 300’s when churches in the east began to celebrate the feast of the “martyrs of the whole world”. This feast was celebrated on a few different days around the calendar, but within a few hundred years it was assigned to November 1st in the Western Church, and it was broadened to include all the saints, whether they were martyrs or not. The word “saint” is related to the word “sanctus”, and it basically means “holy one”. Something that is “holy” has been set apart for God’s purposes. All Soul’s Day is the following day, November 2nd. This is a day to remember all the faithful departed. This celebration began in the 11th century. Originally it came from the idea that those who died without being considered saints had to go through a kind of purification before entering fully into the glory prepared for them. The Anglican Church has rejected ...