Sermons

Our Advent reflection on hope begins with a passage taken from the book of Hebrews. The concept of hope is presented as an unwavering source of our confession: one that is strengthened in the faith community, empowered by the Spirit, and secured with the presence of God (cf. Hebrews 10:19-11:1). After this section, the flow of thought discloses the meaning and relationship of faith with hope by describing a long list of biblical examples.

During the seven mile journey to Emmaus two disciples, not of the twelve, encountered the resurrected Christ. They immediately returned to bring their experience to the apostles who were hiding in fear that they might be the next ones crucified. Jesus appeared while the two disciples were bearing witness that He was raised. The next Sunday Jesus appeared to Thomas. After that the disciples went to Galilee where Jesus appeared to them on the shore. They then returned to Jerusalem where Jesus led them to Bethany and ascended into His glorified state as God.

The apostles were in hiding for fear that they might be the next ones crucified. They remained sealed in trepidation even after Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James reported seeing the tomb empty and Jesus resurrected. Even the corroboration of the empty tomb by Peter and John proved too little to convince them or the others that Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day as He had prophesied. Not all remained hidden in the room, though.

Luke’s historical investigation of Jesus Christ continues a graphic account of what the Lord’s Supper represents. This section considers the events following Jesus’ torture by the religious leaders and Roman authorities, the Jewish leaders’ false accusations, Pilate’s judgment, and Jesus’ handing over to the Roman soldiers for crucifixion. The prophecies in the previous chapters about the Messiah’s torture, crucifixion, and resurrection were now unfolding as truth.