κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

[Jesus said:] “ Now my soul is troubled. And what will I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this reason, I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified [it]! And again, I will glorify [it]!” (vv 27-29).  [Prayer] Heavenly Father, you glorified your name in the birth of Christ and his transfiguration. You glorified your name on the cross of Christ, in his resurrection, and in his ascension. Enable us now to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of the faith, that all our works may glorify you ... in Jesus’ name. [Introduction] They heard a word from heaven.  Can you imagine what that must have been like ... to hear a thundering voice responding to Jesus’ prayer that the Father would glorify his name?  What would that have been like ... to be in the crowd ... in Jerusalem ... during Jesus’ triumphal entry on Holy Week ... and to hear our heavenly Father speak in this way? Can you imagine the...

[Introduction] It was Saint Paul’s goodwill and prayer that all Israel would be saved. He said that plainly just before our epistle reading. While giving Israel credit for being zealous to know God, their zeal ... he laments ... was not based on the Gospel. It was rooted in the Law ... in dotting Is and crossing Ts, minding Ps and Qs ... trying to get right with God in accordance with one’s own thought, word, and deed.  And almost 2,000 years later, the world has the same problem. People are still ignoring the truth that Jesus is Lord ... that he alone saves. They are still pursuing their own righteousness apart from Jesus ... saying they don’t need to receive the forgiveness of sins from him. They are still declaring for themselves who’s going to heaven and who’s going to hell.  So today, Paul sets the record straight. He leads us to a much simpler word we should all believe, teach, and confess. He says, [this] word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the ...