The Sunday Next Before Advent

This Homily teaches that no amount of good deeds can earn heaven. A man believed he could build a resume for heaven through kindness, yet scripture shows that our works fall short before a holy God. Only the righteousness of Jesus Christ can reconcile us to him.

Jeremiah preached during a dark time when God’s people had abandoned their covenant and faced judgment. Yet God gave Jeremiah a promise of hope. He would raise up a righteous king from the line of David, one who would restore his people and be called “The Lord our righteousness.”

Jesus Christ fulfills this promise. Through his perfect obedience and his sacrifice on the cross, he bears our sin and gives us his righteousness. In baptism he gives us new hearts and adopts us as God’s children. In the eucharist, he feeds us with the food of eternal life.

We are called to acknowledge our sin and receive him by faith. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we thank God for daily blessings, but above all for the gift of his Son, our peace and our salvation.