The lessons for each Sunday in the church year proclaim God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Also derived from a Sunday’s texts are lessons for the Christ-inspired and Christ-like life of God’s people. The comments here will help you find hunger-related threads – sermon starters – among the themes of this day’s texts. (We're presuming you have already done your exegetical work on the texts.) God bless your proclamation (and teaching) of what is most certainly true!

June 1, 2008
Third Sunday after Pentecost

Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28

Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-28

· The narrow path means that we are to pay more than lip service to the teachings of Jesus.

· How does Jesus know us? By visiting those in prison, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry (Matt 25:40)

· The good news of Paul empowers us to do the difficult news in Matthew.

· This good news and difficult news are to be fixed in our hearts and minds. Tied together. Not separated. With us wherever we go. Taught to our children.

· How do we teach about the need of others to our children? How do we raise their awareness is meaningful ways so that their lives might be intimately connected with those in need?

· Having the gospel start in v 13 might be helpful for seeing this section as Jesus’ end to the Sermon on the Mount. It also gives a few more images (narrow/wide gate)

Lip Service v. Life Service

· Lip service assumes that someone will do the work

· Life service assumes that we are to do the work

· Lip service is calling out “Lord, Lord look at how much we’ve done”

· Life service is crying out “Lord, Lord, where do you need us to go?”

· Lip service keeps us to ourselves

· Life service opens us up to the world.

· Lip service ends as we leave the pew

· Life service begins as we enter the community

· Lip service avoids the pain and suffering in the world

· Life service seeks out the pain and suffering in the world

· Lip service finds alternatives to the cross
- Life service is Jesus on the cross

Pastor Ben Sheets

Associate Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

__________________________________________________

June 8, 2008

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Hosea 5:15-6:6

Romans 4:13-25

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

· How have we, like Israel, been unrepentant? Are we willing to face our guilt – the guilt of our excess, our overlooking of those who starve?

· Have we listened to the prophets in our midst? Who are they?

· What do we willingly offer up to God in place of mercy?

· We are killed with the words of the prophet – and are brought to new life with the call of Christ.

· How are we like Matthew – waiting at the tax collection booths- waiting for others to pay us, to come to us?

· Do we wait for the hungry to come to the church door? Do we wait for the hungry to get their lives in order before we help?

· In this waiting is our death. It is our need for repentance.

· Matthew “arose” (resurrection word) and follows Christ.

· Matthew is called to leave his station in life, his place of stagnancy and to follow.

· Christ’s call leads us to follow in the steps of mercy and not sacrifice.

· What does it mean for us to show mercy/steadfast love/loyalty to one another?

· Jesus shows mercy by encountering the diseased and the dying.

· We can show mercy by actively by turning our burnt offerings into offerings that feed the world.

· We can show mercy by actively seeking out those who hunger in the world.

· Where is your community? Are they waiting at the tax booth? Are they torn to pieces from the words of the prophets and in need of Jesus’ call to resurrection? Have they begun to follow and are seeking ways to show mercy – in what concrete ways will they begin?

Pastor Ben Sheets

Associate Pastor, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church