Rev Chris Roth

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 6:1"Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 6:2"So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6:3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 6:4so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 6:5"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6:6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 6:16"And whenever you fast, do not loo...

Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-43 Today we have reached the end of the season after Epiphany. As we’ve talked about before, “Epiphany” comes from a Greek word meaning something like “manifestation” or “revealing”. The theme of this season is a revealing of who Jesus is. As a child, the non-Jewish Magi identify Jesus as the king of Israel. When he was baptized, Jesus is identified as the Son of God. In his first miracle in the Gospel of John, He turned water into wine, pointing to the coming joy of the expected messianic feast, and showing Jesus to be a wonderworker. As he began his public ministry, he preached that the Scriptures point to him. When his parents presented him at the Temple, Simeon and Anna spoke about him as the Messiah, as the light to the nations, but also revealed that suffering would come as well. The readings of this season also include the selection of the 12 apostles, representing the reconstitution of the 12 tribes of Israel, and ...