SCROLL DOWN FOR MAY 18 AND MAY 25
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!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The Holy Trinity
First Sunday after Pentecost
First
Psalm 8
Second
Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20
The first creation account offers us:
· the “breath” of God that we heard about last week, present at the beginning of all creation
· the provision of God’s good creation of plenty of food
· the human, made in God’s image, having “dominion”
· What does being “made in the image of God” mean?
· What does “having dominion” mean?
Psalm 8 examines the role of the human agent in God’s creation and uses the word “dominion” (Responsibility for? Care of? Choices on using resources?)
II Corinthians 13 and Matthew 28 give us the Trinitarian formula with which we are so familiar, but Matthew adds the directive to “teach them to obey everything I have commanded you:” i.e, Love the Lord your God with all your heart AND love your neighbor as yourself.
If last week was just too full and busy for a food drive and/or a World Hunger Appeal Sunday, please consider this Sunday. Some communities schedule their annual CROP Walk for the spring of the year. Even if you’ve missed yours, this might still be a good Sunday to celebrate the work of all the agencies and organizations that are in partnership with the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.
This Holy Trinity celebration Sunday sets before us a mystery of our faith that is often best treated as such—a mystery that we accept, live in, and celebrate. At the same time, we can confidently proclaim that God is among us, with us, in us, and for us in all things and ways.
From Share your Bread: A Lectionary-based Planning Guide: “O God of love, given, returned, and shared, we praise you for the creation and for the food you gave to Adam and Eve, a garden of delights. And now, our Abba, feed all your little children from wherever they cry in fear and slavery. Turn this bleak world into your garden again; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pastor Ellen Arthur
Trinity
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Sunday, May 25, 2008
Second Sunday after Pentecost
First
Psalm 131
Second
Gospel: Matthew 6:24-34
Isaiah declares celebration as the exiles from all directions returning home:
· using “covenant”, God’s people are blessed in order to be a blessing
· prisoners are called to freedom, those in darkness called into the light
· barren lands and a scorching sun shall not keep the returning exiles from being fed
· our God acts like a compassionate mother and will NOT forget the children (How can we do any less?)
Psalm 131, a song of humility and quiet trust, gives rest and comfort when we become tired or discouraged in the work of ending hunger
I Cor 4 gives us a bit more of the attitude of the psalm:
· A great way to talk about stewardship and the call to being trustworthy
· A trustworthy steward relies on God for judging, for strength, for wisdom
Several verses from the Sermon on the Mount provide these opportunities:
· The choice of whom to serve: What choices do our checkbooks show we have made?
· The command not to worry: about all the superficial matters with which our consumer culture constantly bombards us.
· Solomon viewed as the great and prosperous king who provided affluence to a few by taking from the many (see Walter Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination)
· “Seek ye first the
The season of graduations, confirmations, and weddings is coming quickly, if it’s not already here for you. Might your Women of the
Pastor Ellen Arthur
Trinity