Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to get her poor dog a bone. It was a reasonable thing to do. Where else should she look for food? That was where the food was stored, but there was nothing there. Neither she nor the dog got anything. She was surprised, unpleasantly so. Jesus expresses surprise in the Scriptures. He is genuinely surprised at the faith of a soldier. He is surprised at the faith of people who have so little background, so little training. He is surprised, like Mother Hubbard, when he goes to the people who should be thrilled about their faith, knowledgeable, and working at it, and finds none of the above. The cupboard is empty. There is good work being done today in spite of an unpleasant climate for good works. It may be a surprise as to where it is happening! Our Lord calls for faith. A word to the wise for the Christian Church should be all that we need. -- Gobrecht