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!

If you have the option of choosing between the lesson from Sirach and the reading from Jeremiah, Sirach very naturally lends itself to a hunger themed reflection. Sirach begins with the reminder of God’s grace—it is out of God’s abundance and extravagance that we are able to give generously. In an economic climate such as we find ourselves we can forget the amazing gifts that we have from God. But God has been gracious (beginning with our celebration at the Eucharistic table) and we have much to offer in return.

Sirach then moves on to speak of God as a just judge. Read on its own, verse 16 challenges the typical biblical perspective of God’s preferential option for those who are poor and vulnerable. Sirach goes on, however, in verses 16b and following to speak of God’s attention to the prayers of those who are wronged; so often, those who are poor and vulnerable have in fact been wronged. It is perhaps for this reason that the lesson concludes with the promise that God will hear the prayers of orphans and the complaints of widows. What about us? Are we listening? Are we acting on behalf of those who are marginalized in our day and time?

This text fits in well with Luke’s general focus on those who are marginalized. The parable is not without bite—how often have we stood on our own piety, felt good about our own righteousness, perhaps even pointing out our good deeds (fasting and giving 10 percent!). Again, the passage from Sirach helps us understand how all good gifts are from God. It is God’s grace that empowers us to live into our call to work with and on behalf of those who are poor and marginalized.

On a side note, the reflection by Jean Lersch for this Sunday’s Gospel reading – found on the Bread for the World Web site (http://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.bread.org/what-we-do/resources/preacher/lectionary/30-sunday-ordinary-time-2010.pdf) – is quite provocative and worth a read.

In this week’s lesson from Isaiah, the prophet offers a familiar critique. He (like others in the following the lead of the prophet Amos) argues that acts of piety and worship are meaningless. In the words of Isaiah, they are hated and a burden (v. 14). What God is seeking is a people who do good, seek justice, and rescue the oppressed (v. 17). One wonders whether the same would be said to us today in our assemblies. Does our worship lead us to live more just lives? Where do we need to continue to grow?

There are two key hunger themes in this week’s Gospel. The first is Zacchaeus’ commitment to give half of his possessions to those who are poor. It is after Zacchaeus makes the declaration that Jesus affirms that salvation indeed came to his house. How will we show that salvation has come to our house?

The second is the reminder of Jesus mission to welcome those who are marginalized. Zacchaeus is a rich (there is hope for us who live in the Global North!) tax collector who is clearly an outsider. When Jesus goes to his house, those who see it grumble because Zacchaeus is a “sinner” (v. 7). Jesus, as was his practice, welcomed those who were marginalized. All had a place at the table. This was a key part of Jesus’ announcement of the reign of God. Those who are welcome at the table are not only fed but recognized as fully human. Who is not welcome around our table? How can we continue to grow in our hospitality as a community?