A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. “As you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you also excel in this act of grace also” (2 Corinthians 8:7). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! “This act of grace”… now that’s an interesting phrase. For many a person sitting in the church pew, few things stir up as much emotional friction as the word “stewardship” or talking about tithing and giving offerings. When church leaders begin asking for financial commitments to help set the next year’s budget, you can be sure there will be hearts that whisper, “What’s mine is mine,” and voices that declare, “All the church ever talks about is money. How come the church is never interested in me unless it needs money?” Perhaps there have been times when some of those accusations have had some validity. Often, they’re just a smokescreen for selfishness or an immature faith or a misunderstanding of b...

Click here to listen to this sermon. But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also (2 Corinthians 8:7). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! I often marvel at the spiritual insights of children. One week during chapel services I was teaching the preschool children about David the shepherd boy as part of a series of lessons on loving our neighbor. I showed the kids two pictures: one of David as a young boy watching over his family’s sheep, and another of David as the grown-up king of the nation of Israel. And then I asked them, “Which one of David’s jobs was more important—shepherd or king?” Most of them replied predictably: “King!” But one of them stole my thunder. “It depends upon whether or not you’re one of the sheep,” Patrick said. And he was exactly right. Both jobs are important for those who are under their care and influence....

Apostle St. Paul - El Greco , c.1612 The text for today is our Epistle, 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-15, which has already been read. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I often marvel at the spiritual insights of children.  One week during chapel services I was teaching the preschool children about David the Shepherd Boy as part of a series of lessons on loving our neighbor.  I showed the kids two pictures: one of David as a young boy watching over his family’s sheep, and another of David as the grown-up king of the nation of Israel.  And then I asked them, “Which one of David’s jobs was more important—shepherd or king?”  Most of them replied predictably: “King!”  But one of them stole my thunder.  “It depends upon whether or not you’re one of the sheep,” he said.  And he was exactly right.  Both jobs are important for those who are under their care and influence.  For the shee...

The text for today is our Gospel lesson, Matthew 22:15-22, which has already been read. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They say that politics makes for strange bedfellows.   That’s certainly the case here.   The Pharisees—ardent nationalists who opposed Roman rule—team up with the Herodians whom they despised for their cooperation with the Roman government.   This would be kind of like the Tea Party movement suddenly aligning itself with the campaign to re-elect President Obama.   You know that something fishy is going on here. The Pharisees try to trap Jesus between a political hard place and a religious rock.   “Teacher, we know that You are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and You do not care about anyone’s opinion, for You are not swayed by appearance.”   Anyone who starts off a sentence like that can’t be trusted with the keys to the house, much less the tenets of theology. ...