Sermon archive for category: Rev. Javier Almendárez-Bautista

The Rev. Javier Almendárez Bautista reflects on Matthew 25:1-13 as we approach the end of the liturgical year: “Every ending is a kind of new beginning, my friends. Every ending demands us to look deep within and find the light of Christ burning forth, even in the darkest night.”

The Basilica of the Annunciation is a church that is found in Nazareth near the site of the story we often tell around Advent, where the Angel Gabriel shows up and interrupts the young girl’s life. “Greetings, favored one. The Lord is with you.” The church itself is grander than many others, maybe not quite true to the Virgin’s humble origins. (Exodus 32:1-14, Matthew 22:1-14)

I heard a story recently about a taxi driver, a Somalian immigrant, riding around New York in his cab. He had one cassette with him, in the old tape deck of the cab. For those of you on the younger side, cassettes are the things where music was stored, and yu put them in a tape deck. And in that tape was his wife’s voice. She is a singer, still back in his home country. (Philippians 2:1-13)

As far as White House press secretaries go, I have, for some time now, had a clear favorite. Her name is Claudia Jean Cregg (C.J. Cregg) played by Allison Janney in the TV series, The West Wing. … It’s surprising when viewers find out, a few seasons in, that C.J. as done something she feels deeply ashamed of. (Matthew 18:21-35)

If you ever walk around the old city in Jerusalem, you’ll find a lot of commemorative plaques all over the place. Now it is primarily a Jewish and Muslim city, but you’ll still find markers of various Christian sites and points of pilgrimage, places that people have visited again and again to remember and walk in the footsteps of Jesus…. (Matthew 15: 10-28)