NO FOOD

Verse

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds
of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the
oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
Isaiah 58:6

Voice

When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint.
When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me
a communist.
Dom Helder Camara

Prayer

O Lord, may we never stop asking why the poor
have no food. Amen.

THE RIDDLE OF LIFE

"My daughter. . . your faith has restored you to health;
go in peace and be free from your complaint" (Mark 5:34).

That comic genius Jerry Lewis once said that the best
wedding gift he received was a film of his entire wedding
ceremony -- start-to-finish. He explained that when things
get really bad in his marriage, he can go into a room,
close the door, run the film backward, and walk out a free
man.

If some of you are feeling that things are really bad in your
life right now, Jesus is inviting you to go into a room, close
the door, and run the film of your life backward, so to speak.
He wants you to go all the way back to the moment you
came into this world. He wants you to know that from the
very beginning .

The Staff and editors of Sunday Sermons Online

HE WAS AFFRAID

Scripture:

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and,
beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
(Matthew 14:30)

Reflection:

No doubt you have turned to the Lord in moments of
crisis, just as  Peter did. But what about the times
when your life was relatively trouble-free?

"Lord, rescue me!" An honest, brief prayer from a
child in need.

"Lord, renew me!" An honest, brief prayer you may
wish to pray right now. Neither prayer will your Father
in heaven ignore.

Prayer:

LORD RENEW ME!  AMEN

A HOLE IN ONE

The Reverend Francis Norton woke up Sunday morning
and, realizing it was an exceptionally beautiful and sunny
early spring day, decided he just had to play golf. So…
he told the Associate Pastor that he was feeling sick and
convinced him to say Mass for him that day.

As soon as the Associate Pastor left the room, Father
Norton headed out of town to a golf course about forty
miles away. This way he knew he wouldn’t accidentally
meet anyone he knew from his parish. Setting up on the
first tee, he was alone. After all, it was Sunday morning
and everyone else was in church!

At about this time, Saint Peter leaned over to the Lord
while looking down from the heavens and exclaimed,
“You’re not going to let him get away with this, are you?”

The Lord sighed, and said, “No, I guess not.”

Just then Father Norton hit the ball and it shot straight
towards the pin, dropping just short of it, rolled up and fell into
the hole. It WAS A 420 YARD HOLE IN ONE!

St. Peter was astonished. He looked at the Lord and asked,
“Why did you let him do that?”

The Lord smiled and replied, “Who’s he going to tell?”

BURDENS

Verse

Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will
fulfil the law of Christ.     Galatians 6:2

Voice

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far,
go with others.       African Proverb

Prayer

God, we thank you for giving us fellow travelers on
this journey of faith. May we always bear each other's
burdens, never pretending that we can do this life on
our own. Amen.

HOW HE LOVES US

Many people falter in their walk with God
because they feel unworthy or think that
God is mad at them because of their sins.
But the truth is that God’s love for us is
unwavering. There are times when we
must be held accountable for our actions,
but that doesn’t diminish His love for us.
God desires us even when we act
undesirably. He wants us even when we
don’t do what He wants. God loves us
even when we turn away from Him. God
loves us unconditionally. During this holy
season for Christians and Jews, let’s
celebrate that fact and love Him in return.

TO BE TRANSFORMED

Verse

See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of
wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.    
Matthew 10:16

Voice

For me, forgiveness and compassion are always linked:
how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and
yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity
enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?     
bell hooks

Prayer

God, may we be a people formed in your image. May we
never allow evil to continue in the name of forgiveness and
compassion. May we believe in the capacity of every
person to be transformed. Amen.

ALL ABOUT FAMILY

Scripture:

"for whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my
brother and sister and mother"(Matthew 12:50)

Reflection:

if it is true about families that "blood is thicker than water,
" how much more binding is the blood of Jesus Christ that"
purifies us from all sin"(1 John 1:7)!

Jesus blood is a "family ties" that binds you close to your
heavenly Father and make you "heirs of God and co= heirs
with Christ"(Romans 8:17).

Think back over your heavenly heritage: "honor...name...
image...nature."

Then thank your Father that you can say with the saints
of old, "We Are Family!"

Prayer:

Thank you God for my earthly family. Thank you that I can
say WE ARE FAMILY in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Amen

IMPERIALISM

Verse

For my people have committed two evils: they have
forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out
cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can
hold no water.  Jeremiah 2:13

Voice

Imperialism leaves behind germs of rot which we
must clinically detect and remove from our land but
from our minds as well.   Franz Fanon

Prayer

God, we confess we have too often remained silent
as governments and leaders set up empires in their
own image. We pray that your spirit would embolden
us as we seek to rid our minds and lands of the germs
of imperialism. Amen.

A VISION OF HEAVEN

Now I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was
standing there. And the one sitting on the horse was
named Faithful and True. For he judges fairly and then
goes to war. His eyes were bright like flames of fire,
and on his head were many crowns. A name was
written on him, and only he knew what it meant. He
was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his title
was the Word of God.
Revelation 19:11-13 NLT

Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His
throne; Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns all
music but is own. Awake, my soul, and sing of Him
who died for thee, and hail Him as they matchless
King through all eternity.
Crown Him with Many Crowns,
Matthew Bridges (1800-1894)

Crown Him with Many Crowns

Matthew Bridges became a convert to Roman
Catholicism at the age of 48 and published this hymn
three years later under the title "The Song of the
Seraphs." Godfrey Thring, an Anglican clergyman,
added several stanzas to the hymn about thirty years
later, with Bridges's approval. So a Roman Catholic
layman and an Anglican cleric, who probably never met,
were coauthors of a hymn about heaven, where
Christians of every tribe and tongue, as well as of every
denomination, will crown Him Lord of all.

One of the aspects that Godfrey Thring felt was missing
in the original was a stanza on the Resurrection, and so
it was added. "His glories now we sing who died and rose
on high, who died, eternal life to bring, and lives, that death
may die."

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Hymns by Mark
Norton and Robert Brown, Tyndale House Publishers (1995),

BREAKING OF BREAD

Verse

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine
and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 2:42 NKJV Study Bible

Voice

It is not for oneself alone that each person asks to be
forgiven, not to be led into temptation, or to be delivered
from evil. Rather, we pray in public as a community, and
not for one individual but for all.
Cyprian of Carthage

Prayer

Lord, you have woven the threads of creation too finely
together for any of us to exist as islands unto ourselves.
Teach us to delight in your web of life and to know
ourselves in community. Amen.
Common Prayer

FEELING COMPASSION

Scripture:

"When He saw the crowds, Jesus had compassion on
them."(Matthew 9:36)

Reflection:

The compassionate Christ "suffers together with" you
when the need arises and comforts and strengthens
you as you overcome each challenge in your day.
If it is true that misery loves company, it is even more
true that suffering needs company.

Rest confidently in the knowledge that your Savior
knows what you were going through...and He also
knows what assistance you need to emerge "more
than a conqueror" as a result.(see Romans 8:37)

Prayer:

Oh Lord may I always have a compassionate heart.
May I use that compassion to be there and help others.
In Jesus Name Amen

GOD'S SIDE

During World War II, Joe Louis, the champion heavyweight
boxer, was one of several celebrities scheduled to say a
few words at a fund-raising rally for the Navy Relief Society.
"I was nervous," Louis said. "I didn't know what to say.
Somebody told me the President would be listening on the
radio, so I especially wanted to get my speech off to a
good start. Just before I was called up to the mic, I asked
a friend sitting next to me how I ought to start off. He told
me to say something upbeat about the war, like, 'My
fellow Americans, God is on our side!' As I walked up to
the stage, I stumbled on the steps and lost my
concentration, so instead, when I got to the mic I said,
'My fellow Americans we are on God's side.'" Mr. Louis
may have stumbled on the steps, but he didn't stumble
at the mic. It's never a question of whether or not "God
is on our side." Rather, it's a question of whether or not
we are on God's side.

COMMUNITY

Verse

But they were silent, for on the way they had argued
with one another about who was the greatest. He sat
down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever
wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”
Mark 9:33-35

Voice

Those who love their dream of a Christian community
more than they love the Christian community itself
become destroyers of that Christian community even
though their personal intentions may be ever so honest,
earnest, and sacrificial.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Prayer

O God, even as we turn our ear towards all anger, all
regret, all cynicism aimed at the church, we pray that
you give us strength to love our communities themselves.
Amen.

AS THE WHEEL TURNS

It is God who judges:
     He brings one down, he exalts another.
Psalm 75:7

A Jewish folktale is told about a young couple who
lived around the 12th century. The couple was newly
married and still getting to know each other. The
wife knew that her husband had previously been
extremely poor to the point where he was a beggar.
The husband knew that his wife had been previously
married but was abandoned by her spouse. Now, the
new husband was an extremely successful
businessman, and the two were very happy.

The wife had a tradition. Every day she would prepare
a feast for lunch and her husband would close his
business to come home and enjoy the meal with his
wife. One day, as they had just begun to eat, there was
a knock at the door. The husband opened the door to
find a beggar pleading for food. The husband, who
remembered what it was like to be in such dire
circumstances, told the poor man that he could enjoy
the entire meal prepared by his wife; then once the poor
man finished eating every last morsel, he was sent away
with a bag full of coins.

After the beggar left, the husband noticed that his wife
looked pale and he asked her what was wrong. She
replied: “In my first marriage, I also prepared an exquisite
lunch just as I do for us. One day, a beggar came to our
door as I sat down to eat with my husband. My husband,
however, yelled at the poor man and sent him away with
nothing. After that, we lost all of our money and my
husband left me.”

The wife continued, “That beggar who came today was my
previous husband.” Her husband replied, “I know.” “But
how?” asked the wife. Her husband replied: “I was the
beggar that came to your door.”

It is best to always keep in mind that our current situation
is not necessarily our permanent destination — no matter
what our situation may be today. Our job is to serve God
as best as we can within the circumstances that we find
ourselves in today – knowing that everything can be
completely different tomorrow.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

(from Holy Land Moments)

SPLINTER INSPECTIOR

Scripture:

"Hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to remove the speck
from your brother's eye."(Matthew 7:5)

Reflection:

There will always be applicants for the position of
"Splinter Inspector" in the lives of others. But the
real need is for Christians who are willing to become
"Plank Removers" in their own lives.

Would you trust your teeth to a dentist who has no
teeth? Or your car to a mechanic who couldn't keep
his own car running? Of coarse not!

Would you trust a Christian whose life showed no
evidence of the power of God at work?

It's a question worth asking. AND THE FIRST
PERSON TO ASK IS YOURSELF!

Prayer:

Oh Lord, may I always remember to remove the
plank in my own eye, before I see this splinter in
my neighbors eye.  Please O God give me the wisdom
not to be a hypocrite. In Jesus Name Amen