Offering Meditation for Proper 22a – 8-October-23

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8-October-23 (Matthew 21:33-46)

In the story for today, Jesus talks about people who selfishly try to keep the blessings and love of God to themselves. That's the one thing we can't afford to do as the church.
There are a lot of things going on in the church, but all of them have one thing in common: They're all ways that we demonstrate the love of God, freely given to all people.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 22a – 8-October-23”

Offering Meditation for Proper 21 – 1-October-23

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1-October-23 (Matthew 21:23-32)

As has been said, the problem with the Pharisees was not that they weren't trying to do good. It was that they were also limiting who was seen to be worthy of the good works they did and who was welcome in worship and the life of their faith community.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 21 – 1-October-23”

Offering Meditation for Proper 20a – 24-September-23

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24-September-23 (Matthew 20:1-16)

The economics of Jesus are very different from the economics we encounter in the world around us. In the Church, our economics have one foot in the Realm of God and the other in our world. We have to pay in order to keep the lights on and the water flowing but we also use our resources to help people see God's love in action and catch a glimpse of what our world could be if we all loved as God loves us.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 20a – 24-September-23”

Offering Meditation for Proper 19a – 17-September-23

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17-September-23 (Matthew 18:21-35)

The scripture for today is one of those that show us how the Church is supposed to be run differently than any of the other institutions we come into contact with. Our whole "business" is built around the concept of building community and as highlighted in the scripture, treating others with love and forgiveness.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 19a – 17-September-23”

Offering Meditation (Gospel) for Proper 18a – 10-September-23

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10-Sep-23 (Matthew 18:15-28)

Jesus speaks to us about restoring broken relationships. That's actually not a bad description of what Church is about. We work on our relationship with God, both individually and as a community. We work on our relationships with each other, so that we can become the beloved community that Jesus began.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation (Gospel) for Proper 18a – 10-September-23”

Offering Meditation (Gospel) for Proper 17 – 3-September-23

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3-Sep-23 (Matthew 16:21-28)

Jesus stated the paradox, "those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." There's another one very like it: "We gain a lot from giving away."… Read the rest “Offering Meditation (Gospel) for Proper 17 – 3-September-23”

Offering Meditation for Proper 16a – 27-August-23

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27-August-23 (Matthew 16:13-20)

The people of Jesus' time had a lot of ideas about what the Messiah would be like. When Peter says to Jesus, "You are the Messiah, the Christ." he was saying that he was beginning to understand the way that Jesus was messiah.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 16a – 27-August-23”

Offering Meditation for Proper 15a – 20-August-23

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20-August-23 (Matthew 15:10-28)

The gospel passage for today shows that the grace and presence of God are not meant to be kept for some small group. While the Church has not fully understood or embraced that in its history, it does support the idea that the ministries of the Church are not for the Church alone.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 15a – 20-August-23”

Offering Meditation and Prayer for Proper 14a – 13-August-23

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13-Aug-23 (Matthew 14:22-33)

There is an interesting sort of balance we need to find in our life of faith. On the one hand, we know, from stories like our scripture for today, that we are to trust God, even when we're in very difficult situations.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation and Prayer for Proper 14a – 13-August-23”

Offering Meditation for Proper 13a – 6-Aug-23

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6-Aug-23 (Matthew 14:13-21)

Can you imagine what it would cost to feed a crowd of 5000? ... even with just bread and fish sticks?
While we can count on God's abundance to provide beyond even our imagining, it's just not good stewardship to put the burden of providing for church programs on miracles.… Read the rest “Offering Meditation for Proper 13a – 6-Aug-23”