1. “Are you waiting to spe ak to one of us?”
HOn anoth
Dorothy Day was on
2. “If Christians have caste diffe re nce s…”
M. K. Gandhi in his autobiography te lls how, during his days in South Africa as a young Indian lawye r he re ad the Gospe ls and saw in the te achings of Je sus the answe r to the major proble m facing the pe ople of India e caste syste m. Se riously conside ring e mbracing the Christian faith, Gandhi we nt to a white -only church one Sunday morning inte nding to talk to the ministe r about the ide a. Whe n he e nte re d the church, howe ve r, the ushe r re fuse d to give him a se at and told him to go and worship with his own pe ople . Gandhi le ft the church and ne ve r re turne d. “If Christians have caste diffe re nce s also,” he said, “I might as we ll re main a Hindu.”(Fr. Munacci)
3. On pe rsiste nce :
Many ye ars ago in Illinois, a young man with six months schooling to his cre dit ran for an office in the le gislature . As might have be e n e xpe cte d he was be ate n. Ne xt he e nte re d busine ss but faile d in that too, and spe nt the ne xt se ve nte e n ye ars paying the de bts of his worthle ss partne r. He fe ll in love with a charming lady and be came e ngage d – and she die d. He had a ne rvous bre akdown. He ran for congre ss and was de fe ate d. He the n trie d to obtain an appointme nt to the U.S. e , but didn’t succe e d. He be came a candidate for the Vice -Pre side ncy and lost. Two ye ars late r he was de fe ate d in a race for the se nate . He ran for Pre side nt and finally was e le cte d. That man was Abraham Lincoln. It took Winston Churchill thre e ye ars to ge t through the e ighth grade , be cause he couldn’t pass English! Ironically, he was aske d many ye ars late r to give the comme nce me nt addre ss at Oxford Unive rsity e e ch consiste d of only thre e words: “Ne ve r give up!” Today’s gospe l e pisode give s us the same me ssage in a more powe rful way.
4. Unive rsal frate rnity:
The re is a story about a man name d Je re my Cohe n, a Te xan who, with his family, be came host to a rabbi from Moscow one Christmas. To tre at the rabbi to a culinary e xpe rie nce unavailable to him in his own country, Cohe n took him to his favorite Chine se re staurant. Afte r an e njoyable me al and ple asant conve rsation, the waite r brought the che ck and pre se nte d e ach pe rson at the table with a small brass Christmas orname nt as a complime ntary gift. Eve ryone laughe d whe n Cohe n's fathe r turne d the orname nt ove r and re ad the labe l “Made in India e laughte r quickly subside d, howe ve r, whe n e ve ryone saw te ars running down the rabbi’s che e ks. Cohe n aske d the rabbi if he we re offe nde d at having be e n give n a gift on a Christian holiday. Smiling, the rabbi shook his he ad and answe re d, “No, I was she dding te ars of joy to be in such a wonde rful country in which a Chine se Buddhist re staurant owne r give s a Russian Je w a Christmas gift made by a Hindu in India.”
5. The diffe re nce be twe e n knowing the faith and showing the faith.
A man who was walking close to a ste e p cliff lost his footing and plunge d ove r the side . As he was falling he grabbe d the branch of a tre e that was sticking out about half-way down the cliff. He manage d to hang onto a we ak limb with both hands. He looke d up and he saw that the cliff was almost pe rfe ctly straight and that he was a long way from the top. He looke d down and it was a long, long way down to the rocky bottom. At this point the man de cide d that it was time to pray. He didn’t pray a long, wordy praye r. He simply ye lle d out, "God, if you’re the re , he lp me !" About that time he he ard a de e p voice coming from high up above that said, "I’m he re my son, have no fe ar." The man was a little startle d at first by God’s voice , but he ple ade d, "Can you he lp me ? Can you he lp me ?" God re plie d, "Ye s, I can my son, but you have to have faith. Do you trust Me ?" The man answe re d, "Ye s Lord, I trust You." God said, "Do you re ally trust Me ?" The man, straining to hold on re plie d, "Ye s Lord, I re ally trust You." The n God said, "This is what I want you to do: le t go of the limb, trust me and e ve rything will be all right." The man looke d down at the rocks be low, the n he looke d up at the ste e p cliff above him and ye lle d, "Is the re anybody e lse up the re who can he lp me ?"
Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali – Indian Poet
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action--
Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action--
Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.
***********
From Sermons.com1. Crossing Barriers
2. Refusing to Be Put Off
3. Going in Faith and Humility
What would you think if I told you that on your tombstone would be inscribed a four-word epitaph? Well, you might respond, it would depend on who would write this epitaph--an enemy or a loved one. It might also depend, you might say, on how well this person knew and understood you. If a newspaper critic wrote of a concert pianist the four words: "He was a failure," you could always say: That was his opinion. But if one of the world's great musicians wrote, "He was a genius," then you are apt to take the remark more seriously.
There was a character in the Gospel who Jesus once described with four immortal words: Great is your faith. She was a Canaanite woman who came from the country to the north of Palestine, a country hostile to the Jews. She was presumably married, she had at least one child; but that's all we know about her. We don't know whether she was a good woman or a bad woman. We don't know her name. All we know of her is that in this single encounter with Jesus he spoke to her this four-word epitaph: Great is your faith.
Only four words but they are enough to make her immortal. We can trust these words as being true because the expert on faith spoke them. Jesus searched for faith, as a gem collector would fine jewels. He did not always find it in his disciples. On no occasion that we know did he ever say of Peter, James, and John: Great is your faith. More often the words he spoke to them: You of little faith. On only one other occasion did Jesus praise a person for their faith. Interestingly, that was a Roman soldier stationed in Capernaum.
We regard this Canaanite woman with more than just an academic interest. She awakens in us a feeling of admiration, perhaps even envy, because she stands where most of us would like to stand...
___________________________
"Trending" as in "what's trending?" is a social networking term used to describe what latest "hot new thing" is gaining popularity online and in our TGIF (Twitter, Google, Instagram, Facebook) culture. If you know what is "trending" then supposedly you've got your finger, or at least your texting finger, on the pulse of "what's happening" in the world today.What have you heard is trending? Anyone?...This would be a great time for you to enter the congregational space and interact with your people about what "trends" they're tracking...You may want to prime the pump and ask some of your youth what music is trending...what's their favorite musician, and then ask if that musician is "cool" or not cool? . . .
At the end of the interaction you might want to mention that you've heard that the country that's trending most right now is South Korea, that in Asia and many other places, but not yet in the US, South Korea and everything Korean is hip (see Euny Hong's The Birth of Korean Cool (2014). Although you might want to mention that "fanbots" may be a Korean idea that will never catch on. "Fanbots" are robot fans that you can rent if you can't attend a baseball or soccer game. They attend for you, sit in a special section for robots, and they can cheer, chant and even perform a wave, whatever you instruct them to do as you watch the game through their eyes.
Here's something ironic about all this trendiness. The problem is that closely following and participating in what is "trending" guarantees that you are NOT a "trend-setter." Instead you are jumping on the "trending" bandwagon, letting the collective online crowd determine what you think is worth your time and attention. To be perennially "trending" is like being forever trying to join that most popular "clique" in junior high and high school. As soon as you "join in" it's no longer the coolest, latest thing. Sometimes the most relevant is not the most recent but the most ancient...
___________________________
Breaking down Barriers C.S. Lewis once wrote an essay entitled The Inner Ring. He says in the article that in any playground or office or church there are little groups or rings of people who are on the "inside". And those who aren't: those who don't get picked at playtime, those who stand on their own in the lunchroom. Lewis says that the existence of such rings is not necessarily bad. We're finite beings, and we can only have deeply intimate friendships with a limited number of people. But he says that the desire to gain status or self-worth by being part of an "inner ring" is deeply destructive. It causes you to constantly compare yourself with others, to feel anguish when you're left out, and deeper anguish when someone close to you gets let in. Worst of all, once you're in, you want to keep others out, because it's the exclusive nature of the group that makes you feel good.
Jesus' disciples wrestled often with that desire to be part of the inner ring. They argued over who should have the seats closest to Jesus. They asked Jesus to bring down fire on pagan villages. They rebuked little children for coming in too close and wasting Jesus' time. Jesus must have often shaken his head because he was constantly teaching about who was in and who was out, about God's desire to bring into the inner ring of his love anyone who will come. One of the most intriguing stories about status is this one in Matthew 15:21-28.
John Tucker, Breaking Down Barriers: Inclusion
_____________________________________
A Mother's Faith Augustine's mother, Monica, was a fervent believer who prayed constantly for her son's salvation. She devoted her whole life to praying for Augustine's conversion. At one point, when Augustine was becoming devoted to the Manichaean philosophy, Monica begged a holy man to speak to Augustine, and show him why their beliefs were not true. The holy man refused because Augustine was known to have a great intellect, and would likely try to savage the holy man's arguments. The holy man assured Monica that he, too, had once been a Manichaean, and that Augustine was too smart to deceive himself much longer. At this, Monica began to cry. The holy man sent her away, saying, "Go, go! Leave me alone. Live on as you are living. It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost."
The holy man was right. After many years and a fierce inner struggle, Augustine was touched by a revelation in Scripture, and became a Christian. When Monica learned of her son's salvation, she remarked that she had nothing left to live for, for the greatest desire of her heart had been fulfilled. Nine days later, Monica died. And the son she had spent her life praying for, went on to affect the whole world.
Monica never quit asking. "Live on as you are living," said the holy man. "It is not possible that the son of such tears should be lost." You are concerned about someone you love? Keep on asking God for help. Don't let your tears quench the flame of your faith in God. It may seem like God is ignoring you, but I assure you that is not the case. Don't give up. Keep asking. And keep on trusting.
King Duncan, When You Need Help, adapted from Ruth Bell Graham, Prodigals and Those Who Love Them.
_____________________________________
Learning to Be Like Christ A householder keeps faith, keeps care, of all those in his household. This is what the Canaanite woman learns from Jesus' example. And this is what she reveals back to him.
In other words, Jesus "learns" to hear his own words through the ears of her faith. That's why ultimately Jesus declares, "Woman, great is your faith" - not, "You are very clever."
In other words, Jesus "learns" to hear his own words through the ears of her faith. That's why ultimately Jesus declares, "Woman, great is your faith" - not, "You are very clever."
This is how philosopher Dallas Willard puts it, as he defines exactly what is a disciple: "One of those who have trusted Jesus with their whole life, so far as they understand it. Because they've done so, they want to learn everything he has to teach them about life in the kingdom of God now and forever, and they're constantly with him to learn this. Disciples of Jesus are those learning to be like him" (Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ, 241).
Leonard Sweet, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
_____________________________
Don't Jump to Conclusions A family of five was enjoying their day at the beach. The children were playing in the ocean and making sand castles when in the distance a little old lady appeared. Her gray hair was blowing in the wind and her clothes were dirty and ragged. She was muttering something to herself as she picked up things from the beach and put them into a bag. The parents called the children to their side and told them to stay away from the old lady. As she passed by, bending down every now and then to pick something up, she smiled at the family. But her greeting wasn't returned.
Couple weeks later this family learned that little old lady was a retired school teacher who'd made it her lifelong crusade to pick up bits of glass from the beach so children wouldn't cut their feet. And as she picked up the broken glass, she prayed for the people who had dropped it, even though she didn't know who they were.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, gave his life on the cross so that we might know the love, forgiveness and acceptance of our God. Jesus died for each of us personally. We can't look at another human being without thinking to ourselves, Jesus died for them, too. We do a disservice when we jump to conclusions about people because of how they look, where they live or the type of work that they do. We are all equal Jesus' eyes.
Billy D. Strayhorn, From the Pulpit, CSS Publishing Company
__________________________________
Thinking of Nothing Else: ConcentrationThe famous one-time Catholic monk, Martin Luther, was legendary not just for nailing a piece of paper to the door of his home church citing 95 things that needed to be changed about it. He wrote and lectured extensively to his students at the university as well. Some of his students were very good learners, and others were not so good. But a few of his students realized that some of the most valuable instruction that Luther gave was not in the classroom, but was in the dining hall over a meal and a few drinks. His students began taking notes on what Luther told them in that relaxed atmosphere, and they eventually published these notes in what was known as Martin Luther's Table Talks.
One such example of the profound insight and truth Luther gave his students happened one day after class in the dining hall and they were all sitting around eating their meal and talking on the subject of prayer. A student of Luther's by the name of Viet Dietrich preserved Luther's words for us:
"When Luther's puppy, Tölpel, happened to be at the table, looked for a morsel from his master, and watched with open mouth and motionless eyes, Luther said, 'Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise, he has no thought, wish, or hope'" (Table Talks, May 18, 1532).
Martin Luther's puppy reminds me of the woman in today's Gospel lesson from Matthew. Although this woman was a Gentile, from the region of Tyre and Sidon (modern day Lebanon), she couldn't think about anything other than Jesus healing her daughter.
J. Curtis Goforth, O.S.L., I Ain't Too Proud to Beg
______________________________
My Guitar Is Tired
My Guitar Is Tired
Classical guitar maestro Andres Segovia is adored by his public, especially by the British. They do not let him go easily after a performance. Following two exhausting encores one night in London, Segovia, then 92, was forced to concede: "I would love to go on playing," he said, "but my guitar is tired."
Jesus knew what it was to be tired. He knew what it was to need a change.
King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
_______________________________
A Strong WomanA strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape, but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.
A strong woman isn't afraid of anything, but a woman of strength shows her courage in the midst of fear.
A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her, but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.
A strong woman walks sure-footedly, but a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.
A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face, but a woman of strength wears grace.
A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey, but a woman of strength has faith that in the journey she will become strong.
Author unknown
___________________________________
Humility
One of the most respected personalities in the entertainment world today is a man named Quincy Jones. Performer, composer, promoter, producer, director, arranger--Qunicy Jones is all of these and much, much more. In recent years, he has also become known for his amazing ability to bring together the superstars of the entertainment industry, getting them to blend their talents and work together, share the spotlight and function as a team to produce something that is very special. He can bring together stars such as Diana Ross, Kenney Rogers, Aretha Franklin, Michael Bolton, Gladys Knight, Kenney G., Lionel Ritchie, and many others; he can give them a single phrase there, and combine their artistic skills into a powerful and moving expression of music.
Perhaps Jones is best known for the production of the hit recording "We are the World," which featured the combined talents of many of the top pop singers of our time. Do you know how he did it--how he persuaded those music superstars to come together and work as a team to create that song? Well, he did a very interesting and, evidently, effective thing...
