Sunday Homily

Jesus offended people all the time and knew it. He even said, “Blessed is he who takes no offense.” In the Gospel, Jesus cleanses the Temple and overturns the tables. He does this knowing that he is challenging the stewards of the Temple and that it will offend them. If we live a life of purpose and direction and work to accomplish others, we will offend other people.

Offenses are inevitable. Offenses are a trap. But, we have a choice about how we handle offenses. This one truth we are looking at today can give you a more proper perspective on offenses so that you see them in the right context. This truth could change your life.

The Gospel tells us that Jesus was tempted in the desert for 40 days. Afterwards he said, “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news.”

How is guilt a gift? We don’t like the idea of guilt. How can guilt be a gift? We’re not talking about some sort of lifelong regret here. You see right sense of guilt can actually help us have a happier, more joy filled life. Here’s a three minute podcast on how that works. It’s only 3 minutes.

Moments matter. Because life comes down to a series of moments. And in each of them, God is at work. While you can’t plan for teachable moments, you can prepare for them by knowing what is most important, by staying focused on the main thing. And that best happens in a daily quiet time, a daily prayer time.

In the Gospel, Jesus heals on the Sabbath as a sign to show that his new teaching has authority and power. It stands as a direct contrast to the religious rules and ideas of the Pharisees who misunderstand the law. This event shows that Jesus has come to give fresh insight into God’s law and for the purpose of faith and religion. God has come to set people free from oppression.

God sends Jonah to the Nineveh to challenge the people to repent or the nation will be destroyed. This is a stretch for both Jonah and the Ninevites. For Jonah he is challenged to go to a people who are the enemies of Israel. The Ninevites are confronted with their own failings. In this message we will look at how God puts us in situations beyond our comfort zone. Our job is to embrace them rather than run from it as Jonah did.

We often understand defining moments in retrospect. An event happens in our lives and we don’t understand its importance until much later. In our readings today, this happens to both John and Samuel. At a certain point they were called into God’s much larger story through a defining moment. Their relationship with God becomes personal. Like Samuel and John, God invites us into a larger story.

Before Jesus enters into his public ministry, his heavenly Father orchestrates a defining moment so that he will know the love and delight of his heavenly Father. Jesus is in a crowd of people who are baptized, but once he is baptized, he hears the words, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” In this message we will look at how God works to bring this insight into our lives. As parents and leaders, we can also reproduce this same moment for others.

In this week we will introduce the concept of the series of defining moments and how God uses them to draw us to him. The Magi had been looking at the stars their whole lives, when suddenly they had seen something they had not seen before. A rising star in the sky brought them to Jesus. God often breaks the pattern of our lives (breaks the script) so that we will come to know him.

Holy families don’t have to be perfect, but by caring for one another with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with and forgiving one another, through prayer, sacrificial love and putting God first in all that we do, our families can become Holy families, and by our example, change the world for Christ.

Perhaps the most famous line in all of Scripture Sums it up best: For God so loved the world he GAVE his only beloved Son. God loves, so God gives. We believe; we receive. It’s as simple as saying it in your heart and allowing it to begin to be reflected in your life. It’s as simple as the story of the shepherds. You remember how that story ends?

Luke introduces his readers to a young girl named Mary. She was probably no more than 14 to 15 years old. She is engaged to marry a man named Joseph. The Archangel Gabriel invited Mary to participate in the Nativity of our Lord. Jesus invites us to participate in Christmas by inviting others into the joy of the season.

Jesus came into the world to bring joy, and he invites his followers to do the same. Joy is crucial not just to Christmas but to the whole of the Christian life. If you cultivate joy in your heart, if you set your mind on it, it can heal any hurt, overcome any obstacle, provide remedy for any pain. Joy is the simplest and most complete form of gratitude.

The prophet of Isaiah speaks a message of comfort to a people who are living in exile. He says that God will care for them and show his love. Like God, we are to bring comfort to those in need.