Neli ML

  Christ the King, the one who is hanging on a cross?  Luke 23:33-43. November 23th 2025 Rev. Neli Miranda                          Brothers and sisters, today we find ourselves at a significant crossroads in our journey of faith. This is the final Sunday after Pentecost, the culmination of the long liturgical season we call “ordinary time” or “after Pentecost”. Guided by the Gospel of Luke, for five months, we have been walking with Jesus |on his determined journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, a journey filled with his most profound teachings, parables, and encounters. We have listened, we have learned, and we have walked alongside him. Today, that journey reaches its destination. We arrive in Jerusalem, not to witness a triumphant coronation, but to stand at the foot of a cross. We close this season as witnesses to Jesus, hanging between two criminals, at the place called The Skull....

  Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost 2025 Luke 21:5-19 Rev. Neli Miranda             In today’s Gospel, Jesus announces: “ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven” (21,10-11). Does this imagery resonate with our current time? Indeed, it reflects not only our present circumstances but also those of the first century, the medieval era, the twenty century and throughout history, as hardship has consistently been a part of the human experience.             The belief in Jesus’ imminent second coming was widespread among his earliest followers. They had heard his promise regarding this return and the ultimate establishment of the Kingdom of God. Consequently, they were convinced that this event would occur so...