And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.The whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense.
3 sermons cite this verse
We can look at this story on two levels. The personal level, we have many familiar elements for many of us and familiar names as the Christmas story unfolds. I like to think of it as just find the young children somewhere in the Christmas story. We thought about Joseph for one of our later boys, but we already had a Mary and an Elizabeth. And Ian is just Scottish for John, and his middle name is Zachariah. So it seemed a little presumptuous to throw in a Gabriel or any more children into the Christmas story. Many of you know this story. And one way to understand it is on a personal level. It's a personally moving story for this couple and their new child. But we can also look at it on the epical level. That's the word E-P-O-C-H. Epic, epoch, epical. So we can look at this on a personal level, dealing with the people in the story, and then at the level of one epic to another. …
communicators of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of you are preachers and pastors. Some of us are seminary teachers, some campus administrators, some chaplains, some lay leaders and church authorities. We all have our different ministries. We all have our different places and ways of service. But what holds us all together today in this place is that in some way or another, we have all been called to the task of interpreting the Christian faith and proclaiming the Christian gospel. Now what in the world does that mean? In this kind of culture? is there anybody out there still listening? The voice of the Christian gospel is not the only voice out there. In fact, it's not even the dominant voice anymore. There are more Muslims out there in America, you know, than Episcopalians these days. And even when our voice is heard, is it really heard? I was reading a review in the New York Times book review recently, and the reviewer got to the end of the review, and she said, All in all, this is a very disappointing book. …
The second is bounty to the poor. Christ accepts what is done to them as being done to himself. Matt. xxv. 40. “And the King shall answer, and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” This God prefers before the legal sacrifices. Hosea vi. 6. “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings.” 5th. Another offering of this spiritual priesthood to God, is the prayer of faith. Though this is rather compared to incense in Scripture than to a sacrifice, yet it is equally an evidence of their priesthood. Incense was that sweet confection which we read of. Exod. xxx. 34. “And the Lord said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices, with pure frankincense; of each shall there be a like weight.” These they were wont to burn upon the censer as they offered it, which made a most fragrant smell. That incense is a type of the merits of Jesus Christ, and seems also to be a type of the prayers of God’s people in faith of the former. It was the custom, when the priest in the temple was burning incense, for the people to be praying without. Luke i. 10. “And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.” And gracious prayer is compared to incense. Psal. cxli. 2. “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” The prayer of faith is as a fragrant savour to God, through the merits of him towards whom that faith is exercised. …