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!

The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that God intends to fulfill all the promises God has made. Jeremiah reminds us that the days are “surely coming” when “justice and righteousness are in the land”. What does “justice and righteousness” look like for the hungry, the thirsty, and those who have food and water insecurities? Righteousness = blameless behavior, honesty, godliness, deliverance, salvation, reliable; justice = proper decisions being rendered. This justice and righteousness come through the Branch of David. As Christians, we understand this branch to be Christ. If we are now the body of Christ at work, what should we be doing to bring this about? How do we need to change to display the righteousness and justice that is desired of the godly?

We are called to put our trust in the LORD. We are called to trust that God will provide for us. Those of us who wait, should not be put to shame for our patient trust. We ask God not to remember the incorrect choices we have made. We look to God for mercy. Those who hunger and thirst may trust the LORD as well. And they wait. Their waiting must not be put to shame either. Many times, we make statements about the behavior of others that we think led them to this point. We are reminded that the behaviors of the past are to be forgiven, and look at the current circumstances. Our response may return to the hungry and thirsty the dignity that they have so patiently waited for, and trusted that God would provide.

We recently celebrated Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. The main symbolic image of Thanksgiving on this holiday, is the family setting down at a big meal, giving thanks for all they have received. The Apostle Paul asks the probing question: How might they (Paul and his companions) respond in thanksgiving, for the blessings given to them by the Thessalonican Church? How might we respond in thanksgiving, for the many blessings God has provided for us? Maybe one response might be making sure all are able to sit down to a meal of thanksgiving. And not just one day a year, but as a continual response of thanksgiving for what we have first received.

Liturgically, the image of Advent 1 is always to look to the ending. As we stand at the beginning of another liturgical year cycle, we get these images about what the end might look like. All four texts this week, take a look at what it may be like. What would the signs be if we focused on hunger as the indicator? What would we need to see, that would lead us to know that our salvation is near?

Pastor of Pleasant City Lutheran Parish (Harmony Lutheran Church - Buffalo OH, St. Paul Lutheran Church - Pleasant City OH, Mt. Zion Lutheran Church - Pleasant City OH) and co-founder of "Potlucks to End World Hunger."

We are able to proclaim the gospel in deeds, as well as in words. The Prophet talks about a messenger preparing the way of the Lord. Our assistance to those who suffer from hunger and hunger-related issues, may prepare the way for those we serve to see the Triune God working in their lives. And our assistance may be the “offering in righteousness” that the Lord desires.

The Song of Zechariah or “Benedictus” is a prophetic song that looks to a fulfillment of all of God’s promises. Zechariah rejoices in the blessing of his son, John. We are able to sing of our blessings. And we look to a future when all people will be blessed; when all people do not suffer from hunger and hunger-related issues. As we sing this song, just like Zechariah, we are reminded that the fulfillment is not yet complete, and there is work to do.

We hear in this apocryphal text, a familiar metaphor of God’s fulfillment. A constant metaphor for this fulfillment is all creation being equalized: “mountains and hills made low and valleys raised up”. How are we working to make sure that those who currently do not have, will have in the future?

The metaphor the apostle uses in this letter to describe the spreading of righteousness is an “overflowing harvest”. The world may see the works of God as we work to provide an overflowing harvest for those who suffer from hunger and hunger-related issues.

On the second Sunday of Advent every year, we hear the Baptizer proclaiming what the fulfillment of the Kingdom will look like. As we heard in the alternative Baruch text, and in other places in scripture, the metaphor is that all creation will be equalized: mountains made low, valleys made high, crooked made straight, rough made smooth. It is in this state that we will see the salvation of God. Is it possible that those who suffer from hunger and hunger-related issues may see the salvation of God, when hunger in their lives is overcome? Might we see a glimpse of the Kingdom when we work towards making sure the “have-nots”, have?