Rev Chris Roth

  Genesis 2:4b–9,15–25; Isaiah 40: 1–11; Jeremiah 31:31–34; Baruch4:36–5:9; Isaiah 65:17–25: Luke 1:26-38 In our Gospel reading, the angel Gabriel announces God’s plan to Mary. She would be the mother of the Messiah, Jesus. This moment has been coming for a long time. Some think it has been coming since God’s words to the Serpent in the Garden- “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.’” (Gen 3:15). St. Irenaeus comments on this text that  “from then on it was proclaimed that he who was to be born of a virgin, after the likeness of Adam, would be on the watch for the serpent’s head” (Against Heresies 5.21.1.).   Some saw in this curse the mysterious prophecy that There would be a man, born of a woman, who would strike the head of the serpent, and he would also be struck by the serpent, feeling its deadly venom, through his death on the cross. [1] … From the b...

  Meditation for Holden Evening Prayer- Blue Christmas-  Advent 4 Romans 1:1-7 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 1:2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 1:3 the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 1:4 and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 1:5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the gentiles for the sake of his name, 1:6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 1:7 To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, there is a lot packed into this introduction to Paul’s letter to the Romans. … There is the idea of slavery to Christ. There is the idea of calling, and apostleship, and t...

Isaiah 35: 1-10; Luke 1: 46-55; James 5: 7-10; Matthew 11: 2-11 Misunderstanding who Jesus is, is a running theme in the Gospels. Jesus asks his disciples at one point “Who do people say that I am?” (Matt 16:13). And a variety of answers are given. We might even say that is the point of the Gospels- clearing up misunderstandings and helping us to know who Jesus really is. In our Gospel reading today, John the Baptist asks Jesus a question through his disciples- “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” At the time of Jesus there were a variety of theories about the arrival of the Messiah. The people were trying to piece together a number of clues from the prophets to put together a kind of timeline for the Messianic Age, but there were a few different theories. The Dead Sea Scrolls indicated a belief in there being two Messiahs- a Davidic Kingly Messiah and a Priestly Messiah. There was also an understanding that Elijah was to come first, but it was...

ISAIAH 2:1-5; PSALM 122; ROMANS 13:11-14; MATTHEW 24:36-44 In Advent we begin the church year once again. We enter into a season of anticipation. With ancient Israel, we yearn for the messiah to come, and we yearn for the kingdom that will come with him. … Isaiah expresses a yearning for a time when the ways of God would be respected by a united humanity. The profound peace that would be found on the earth would render weapons useless, and they would be refashioned into tools. They don’t even have to be put into the closet (just in case). They can be reworked and used for other purposes because they can’t even imagine a future when they will be needed. … This yearning stands against the present reality - violence, conflict, disunity, and the rejection of God’s ways. Isaiah’s voice cries out with a hopeful vision of a time when things will be different. Ancient Israel’s yearning for the Messiah and his kingdom is also our yearning for the day when Christ will come again. … We ...