Welcome to Hunger Sermon Starters!
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!
December 16, 2012 The Third Sunday of Advent
Zephaniah 3:14-20
One aspect of hunger ministry that is sometimes overlooked is Disaster Response. We have seen close-up this fall with Hurricane Sandy, what many around the world see at various times: in times of disaster, the lingering affect once you have survived the disaster is hunger. The prophet states that God remembers those affected by disaster. Our response helps them overcome disaster’s lingering effects.
Isaiah 12:2-6
How thirsty have you been? Just imagine the joy one feels when they finally get a taste of water when they are parched. The National Youth Gathering took up the 100 Wells Challenge, so that people around the world could taste that joy. May we continue providing wells for people to have clean and accessible water.
Philippians 4:4-7
We should always keep the hungry and thirsty in our thoughts and in our hearts. Continually pray for the hungry and thirsty. Continually pray for guidance on how we may respond to their situation. Continually give supplication and advocacy, adding our voices to their voices, so that others may hear their cries.
Luke 3:7-18
We continue hearing from John the Baptizer this week. The Baptizer calls us to a place of self-reflection. Our response to God’s gifts to us is to bear good fruit. One of the examples the Baptizer gives in bearing good fruit is; if we have food, we must share it with those who do not. Many sources offer statistics that say there is enough food to feed the world. What we have is a distribution problem, what we have is a sharing problem.
Rev. Michael L. Poole, Jr.
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."
SCROLL DOWN FOR DECEMBER 23, 2012
Welcome to Hunger Sermon Starters!
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!
December 23, 2012 The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Micah 5:2-5a
As Christians, we understand the one who came forth from Judah is Christ. The prophet states that this one will feed his flock in strength. The church is now the visible body of Christ in the world. We are called to continue on this process, showing our strength in feeding the world. The strength we have is the abundance that has been provided to us.
Luke 1:46b-55
Whether you use Mary’s Song, the Magnificat, as the responsive reading or as part of the Gospel text, we still hear the message that the birth of Christ brings about reversal. Everything will be turned upside down. One of the examples Mary uses, is that the hungry will be filled with good things. As the hungry are filled with good things, we are able to see our part in this reversal process.
Psalm 80:1-7
Have you ever felt like your prayers are not being heard? The Psalmist takes this position in the first portion of Psalm 80. The Psalmist asks, how long will you be angry with the prayers; how long will they be fed on and drink their tears? I wonder how the hungry and thirsty may feel as they continue in their longing for food and water. Psalm 80 might be a real prayer for them, as it may seem that their prayers are not answered; as they continue eating and drinking only their tears. Might we be able to help their prayers be heard by adding our voices; by standing up and speaking for those who are already screaming; by advocating for those who can’t be heard because their mouths are only full of tears.
Rev. Michael L. Poole, Jr.
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."
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!
