Pastor Sullivan's Blog

Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. At the beginning of Matthew 24, Jesus tells shows His disciples the beautiful Jerusalem temple and says, “ Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down ” ( 24:2). Later they ask Him, “ W hen will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? ” ( 24:3). In the mind of the disciples, these two events would happen together. The temple, they imagined, would last until the Last Day. Jesus answers their two questions with one answer. He tells when the Temple will fall so that not one stone will be left upon another. Then immediately He tells them the sign of His second coming and the end of the age. Christ combines the destruction of the Temple and His second coming, not because the disciples think that’s the case, but to show them, and you, that as it will go for Jerusalem one day, it will go for the entire wor...

In the Name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. The final Sundays of the church year direct our thoughts to the end of all things and the return of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Last Day. In today’s Gospel lesson Jesus teaches His disciples about the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the world. He teaches them about both because they’ve asked about both. This chapter begins with Jesus saying of the Temple, “ Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down. ” His disciples ask Him, “ Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? ” Jesus answers both of their questions, using the end of Jerusalem and its temple as a prototype for the end of the age, so that as it would go for Jerusalem so it would go for the entire world. And just as there was but one way of escape from Jerusalem’s judgment, so too at the end of the age there is but one way to escape...

Grace and Peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 1)         At the beginning of Matthew 24, Jesus and His disciples are at the Jerusalem Temple. The disciples admire the beauty of the Temple and enjoy all the visible trappings of that blessed place. Jesus does not sit in awe of the external appearance of the Temple. He foretells its destruction. “ Assuredly I say to you, that not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down ” (Matthew 24:2). Later that day, while they are on the Mount of Olives, outside the city limits, the disciples approach Jesus privately and ask, “ When will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age? ” (Matthew 24:3). The disciples think they are asking one question when they’re really asking two. They assumed that the temple would endure until the Last Day of the world, when in reality, it wouldn’t. Jesus takes the oppo...

Order of Holy Communion - Pg. 15 Hymn # 261 Lord Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word Hymn # 264 Preserve Thy Word, O Savior Hymn # 463 For All The Saints Whom from their Labors Rest Introit - pg. 83   Collect for Trinity XXV Almighty God, we beseech Thee, show Thy mercy unto Thy humble servants, that we who put no trust in our own merits may not be dealt with after the severity of Thy judgment, but according to Thy mercy; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. Readings Isaiah 49:12-17 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Matthew 24:25-28 Sermon on the Holy Gospel Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 1)         As we approach the end of the church year our focus shifts to the end times. Jesus teaches us what is in store for us by first teaching us about the fall of Jerusalem. Most of the to...