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!

Is it just wishful thinking? Are those who are poor in spirit really blessed? Those who mourn? Apparently God thinks so. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount provides the “Cliff Notes” for Christian ethics. These Beatitudes show just how revolutionary those ethics will be. It is not promised that the work will be easy, but we are promised that by living faithfully (and modeling the many characteristics that are outlined in this passage) we will be blessed. May we empowered to live fully into God’s call!

This week’s passage from Isaiah invites reflection on hunger and poverty. The critique the author offers in many ways can be applied today. The prophet critiques worship that does not translate into just being and doing. In this season of Epiphany, when we celebrate the revealing of God’s light to the world, we are told that our light as God’s people will shine when we loose bonds of injustice. This text then provides a lens through which to read this week’s Gospel. The light we shine for all to see is feeding the hungry, inviting those who are homeless into our homes, and clothing the naked. May we have the courage to let our lights shine in this way!