Here you can find a sermon for many texts. You will be able to read and/or download sermons you find in either Spanish or English.

Please Note: In order to download these sermons, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Click on the button below to download a free copy.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, has been born and we are celebrating. We celebrate the truth that the Word became flesh and was born in Bethlehem. He grew up under the law and gave himself over to death for us. With his blood he rescued us from evil and purified for himself a chosen people. This is the greatest of all gifts of all times for all people. This is the grace that God, through his incarnate Son, has given us. This is life that is really life – abundant and eternal. Merry Christmas to all of you and may this truth enlighten you and make happy in the days that you spend now with your family and friends.

1 At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there a cry was heard, Look, the bridegroom comes; go out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us some of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, No, because if we do, there will not be enough for us and you: but rather, go to the sellers, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 but he answered and said, in truth, I say to you, I don’t know you. 13 Watch therefore, for you don’t know either the day or the hour when the Son of man comes. (KVJ modified)

Does God have a sense of smell? We were created with a sense of smell and are incomplete and lacking something if we don’t have it. So, a sense of smell is something that has to do with God’s creatures and not with God himself. On the other hand, God uses human language so that we humans can understand certain things about him. When the Bible speaks about God having a sense of smell, it is using a human characteristic to help us understand something about God that we couldn’t otherwise understand. Listen to the words that Jesus spoke which use the idea of smell to tell us something about God and about our world.

1. The Taliban who had cruelly controlled the political, religious and economic life of Afghanistan are no longer in power in that Asian country. What amazed some political commentators was the reaction of the Afghans to the change in their situation. “After the Taliban high-tailed it out of Afghanistan’s major cities, ordinary Afghans – though bombed and poverty-stricken – (made) public displays of happiness.” People were smiling. (Many westerners thought that that the Afghans were a grim people and that they liked it that way.) “It turns out they hated living under a regime that forbade the most innocent of pleasures. The radical Islamic regime did not reflect cultural values, just old-fashioned tyranny.” (Look at what happened.) “People played music. (The Taliban had outlawed music.) Children flew kites. (Kite flying was forbidden). People dug up television sets they had buried in their back yards and brought out photographs they had hidden since TV and photography were outlawed. Young men played soccer, an activity that had also been outlawed. As soon as the Taliban left, men lined up at barber shops to shave their beards, and many women ditched the burqa, the wearable tent with webbed eye-holes.” (World Magazine, Eugene Veith) They were no longer afraid of the Taliban police who used to strike them if they didn’t obey these laws.

You’ve survived the time change that took place a week ago. Perhaps you arrived at an appointment early before you remember that you were supposed to move the clock hands back. But now the majority of the clocks in your house are telling “normal” time.

We’ve passed from “daylight savings time” to the “normal” time. But, you know that that business about “daylight savings” is an illusion. The people who thought up “daylight savings time” didn’t change anything. They didn’t do anything so that there would be more, nor less, hours of light in a day. They didn’t increase nor decrease the time that it take for the world to revolved on its axis. The only think that those people did was that they agree to move the hand of the clock ahead one hour in the Spring and move it one hour back in the Fall.

You probably have heard the history of the Ten Lepers. Luke tells us about this in Chapter 17 of his Gospel.

11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, ten men that were lepers standing far off met him there: 13 And they shouted out, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves to the priests. And it happened, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 Is there no one who returned to give glory to God, except this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go your way: your faith hath made you well. (King James Version modified)

Don’t you agree that sometimes it is difficult to make sense out parts of the Bible? It’s difficult to understand because there are just so many things being said. For example, the words that come from the ninth chapter of the Gospel of Mark: 38"Teacher," said John (the disciples), "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us." 39"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40for whoever is not against us is for us.” Well, I guess we can at least understand that Jesus if a person is not for Jesus, he is against him.

44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that was hidden in a field: When a man finds it, he hides, and with joy over it goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who seeks fine pearls: 46 When he had found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered in fish of every kind: 48 When it was full, they drew to shore, sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and completely separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and shall cast them into the raging fire of the furnace: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 51 Jesus says to them, Have you understood all these things? They say unto him, Yes, Lord. 52 Then he said to them, Therefore every scribe who is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like a man that is a householder, who brings forth out of his treasure things new and old.

In a speech a few years ago, broadcaster Paul Harvey raised a question fielded often by those in his profession. He said: "People often say to me, 'Paul, why don't journalists and broadcasters emphasize more good news instead of tragedy, destruction, discord and dissent?"'

He continued, "My own network once tried broadcasting a program devoted solely to good news. The program survived 13 weeks. In Sacramento, Calif., a tabloid called the Good News Paper printed nothing else. It lasted 36 months before it went bankrupt. A similar Indiana tabloid fared even worse; the publishers had to give it away.