κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

Dear Harley and Sheila ... dear friends and family ... dear brothers and sisters in Christ ... all of you who have gathered in remembrance of Cynthia Lawrie Cummins ... Grace to you and peace from God our Father.  In our Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus said: Come toward me, all who are laboring and being burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your very being, for my yoke is gracious and my burden is light (vv 28-30). This is the Word for our meditation.  [Introduction] Cynthia apparently loved this verse. She had written it out on a slip of paper that she kept it in her Bible ... probably a memory marker. Clearly, she meant to keep this promise of Jesus as a great reminder of where we find peace and rest ... which is the forgiveness of sins in Christ. And I would argue ... she apparently wanted you to have this peace and rest, too ... the forgiveness of sins in Chris...

Therefore, I say this and testify in [the] Lord: No longer are you to walk as the Gentiles walk in the vanity of their minds, being darkened in their imagination, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that [exists] in them. [And] because of the hardness of their hearts, which have become callous, they gave themselves to debauchery, into the practice of impurity, all in greediness. But you did not, in this way, learn Christ, if indeed you heard him and were taught in him — as the truth is in Jesus — to set aside your former behavior, the old man which is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new man, which has been created according to God in righteousness and holiness of truth (vv 17-24). [Prayer] Heavenly Father, through Holy Baptism, You called us to be one of your very own. Grant us your wisdom that comes from above, that your Word may not be bound, but have free course to guide and direct our liv...

[Prayer] Almighty God, you have called your church to testify to the Gospel ... that ... because of the blood of Christ ... you have reconciled yourself to us and made us holy just as you are holy. Grant that by your Holy Spirit, we may join your angels in proclaiming this good news of your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 1. Who Is Like God? Not even the angels, that’s who. But I am sure, based on our readings today, that Saint Michael ... whose Hebrew name מִֽיכָאֵל literally could be translated as “Who is Like God?” ... is perfectly good with that confession. Michael and his Angels are not like God in the sense of being almighty, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful, all-present. But they are holy like God because he made them that way. Therefore, it is right to call them saints. Today is one of the days we recognize this reality. Today is Saint Michael and All Angels Day ... also known as Michaelmas. Today is one of 35 special feasts and festivals listed in our [L...

Paul writes, I, therefore, encourage you ... I, the prisoner in the Lord ... to walk worthily of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, enduring with one another in love, being eager to treasure the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; one body and one Spirit, just as y’all were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (vv 1-6). [Prayer] Heavenly Father, you have called us through the work of Your Son to be your beloved children. In his humility, gentleness, and patience, he endured the cross and rose from the dead, and now he unites us to himself and each other in Holy Baptism and the Holy Sacrament. Grant us the mind of Christ, that we endure together, trusting in Your mercy that abides in all things, through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. [Introduction] And it came to pass one Saturday long ago that Jesus was invi...