Humility and Greatness, John 1:19-28

John the Baptist is questioned in John 1:19-28 about who he is. He denies being the Christ, the Prophet, and even Elijah! But he points the priests and Levites to one who stands among them who is the great one to come. What kind of person is John to have his ministry overshadowed by another and to want it to be so? Father Jeremiah tells us about John’s humility and how it becomes his greatness because of the great one, Jesus.

Image: Interrogation of John the Baptist, Jacob de Weert, Public Domain Dedication (CC0 1.0). No changes made. Image location: https://www.lookandlearn.com/history-images/YR0194173/Interrogation-of-John-the-Baptist.

Pointing to the Lamb, John 1:29-42

Why does John the Baptist delight in pointing his own disciples to Jesus? What does John understand about Jesus that others had not grasped yet? And just why does the Holy Spirit come to rest upon Jesus at his baptism? Father Jeremiah considers these things in his sermon for the Second Sunday of Epiphany.

Image: San Giovanni che indica il Cristo a Sant'Andrea, by Ottavio Vannini (1585-c. 1643), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ottavio_vannini,_san_giovanni_che_indica_il_Cristo_a_Sant%27Andrea.jpg

The Gifts of Christmas, John 1:1-18

St. John tells in the first chapter of his Gospel that the Word was with God, the Word was God, and the Word became flesh. God has become man he declares. And out of that, humanity receives three gifts that John brings forward. Father Jeremiah preaches about these gifts and their importance to our salvation in this Christmas Day sermon.

image: See page for author, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0> no changes made, via Wikimedia Commons. Image location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_birth_of_Christ;_outside_the_crumbling_cave,_an_angel_an_Wellcome_V0034608.jpg

Come and See Jesus, John 1.43-52

For many of us, finding Jesus is crucial to our understanding of our faith. But in our text from John 1, we are reminded that it all starts with God knowing and calling us to “Come and see” through his people. It is Jesus who finds us and brings us to himself as the one who unites heaven and earth.

Image: Biblical illustrations by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Sweet Publishing, Ft. Worth, TX, and Gospel Light, Ventura, CA. Copyright 1984. CC BY-SA 3.0. No changes made. Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gospel_of_John_Chapter_1-10_(Bible_Illustrations_by_Sweet_Media).jpg

John and the Lamb of God, John 1.29-42

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he called him the Lamb of God. What did he mean by this statement? Why did it draw his disciples from himself and to Jesus? How can this strange statement affect us today? Listen now to hear what Father Jeremiah teaches us from this passage.

Image: Behold the Lamb of God, by Lawrence OP (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). No changes made. Statue of John the Baptist pointing to the Lamb of God is located in Fribourg. Image Location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/12028234743

The Blessings of the Incarnation, John 1.1-18, Galatians 3.21-4.7

Father Jeremiah’s friend, Thomas Haviland-Pabst, preached on this first Sunday after Christmas. He considers the incarnation and birth of Jesus from John 1 and Galatians 3. The incarnation results in beautiful things for us! We are able to be adopted as children and can receive the Holy Spirit within.