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Isaiah 9:1-4
I heard a warning on the radio recently. It said: "Due to the oil crisis, the economic crisis, outsourcing, corporate fraud, and political controversy, we regret to inform you that we are turning off the light at the end of the tunnel. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause." The people of Isaiah's time are like us now: it feels like the light has been turned off, and we are walking through a never-ending tunnel of darkness. Well, no longer! According to today's text, the light is coming back on -- in the midst of financial and social injustice, in the midst of scandal and corruption, in the midst of the problems that assail our world every day… the light bulb has been screwed back in. There is something to pull us through the darkness.
Leah T.
Isaiah 9:1-4
Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to enter the moon's orbit. What heightened the excitement of this historic occasion is that the spacecraft began its flight around the moon on Christmas Eve 1968. To commemorate this special occasion and to recognize the religious significance of the date, all three astronauts -- Frank Borman, James Lovell, William Andrews -- decided to read a passage of scripture to all the inhabitants of planet earth. The three men decided the most appropriate text would be the creation story recorded in Genesis. The Gideons presented the space voyagers with a Bible from which to do their reading. Unfortunately, the Gideon Bible was not made of fire resistant material, and the astronauts could not take it along. How, they wondered, could they carry the Genesis text into space? The solution: print the Bible passage on the flame-resistant flight plan. Therefore, each time the astronauts read the day's agenda, their eyes also fell upon the Word of God. Because of this arrangement, the Word of God was constantly kept before the astronauts during their entire journey in outer space.
In the foreboding darkness of space looking down upon a light-blue, colored planet surrounded by a white halo of clouds, and beyond that the brilliance of other planets, stars, and moons, the astronauts must have truly understood the words of Isaiah, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light." Whatever darkness one may encounter, it shall always be penetrated by the light of Christ.
Ron L.
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Leonardo da Vinci will always be known as one of the greatest artists in history. However, he was also a scientist and inventor. He came up with ideas for a helicopter, a tank, and even the use of solar power, among many other things. However, because he was not educated in mathematics or Latin, his ideas were often met with ridicule. It is only now, centuries later, that we can see just how far ahead of his time da Vinci was.
Like da Vinci's ideas, many valid truths are often met with skepticism and ridicule. The same can be said for the cross. Many cannot accept what the cross represents – the means by which humanity can be restored to a right relationship with God. In Paul's day, as in ours, "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (v. 18).
Craig K.
Matthew 4:12-23
In the 1985 film Clue, based on the board game of the same name, the guests of a mysterious dinner party are locked together in Mr. Boddy's mansion when their host, Mr. Boddy, is found dead. The guests can't decide whether to leave or to cover up the murder -- and the longer they wait to decide, the more people -- servants of the house -- wind up dead. At the end of the movie, a man who is supposedly an evangelist knocks on the door. "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand," he says. "Go away!" an anxious Mrs. Peacock shouts. "It's already here!" As it turns out, the evangelist is actually an FBI agent -- and after his appearance, the mystery is swiftly unraveled. Jesus' call to repentance in Matthew's text is a similar foreshadowing of the things that God will soon reveal.
Leah T.
Matthew 4:12-23
In 1946, a California lawyer needed a change in his life. Searching the want-ads in a Whittier newspaper, he read this: "Wanted: Congressional candidate with no previous political experience to defeat a man who has represented the district in the House for ten years. Any young man resident of district, preferably a veteran, fair education, may apply for job." Richard Milhous Nixon answered the ad, and his political career was launched all the way to the White House.
We are called to seek a vocation that is both personally rewarding and productive for the larger community. Some find it in the trades, others in the professions; but everyone equally makes a contribution to the benefit of society. There is a singular calling to which we all must adhere and that is to be disciples of the Lord. Jesus himself made this clear when he said to the fishermen Peter and Andrew, "Come, follow me." We know from the gospel stories that Peter and Andrew continued to fish, but their primary focus was always on serving Jesus. Let us enjoy the vocations to which we have been called, being sure that serving Jesus takes precedence above all other duties.
Ron L.
I heard a warning on the radio recently. It said: "Due to the oil crisis, the economic crisis, outsourcing, corporate fraud, and political controversy, we regret to inform you that we are turning off the light at the end of the tunnel. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause." The people of Isaiah's time are like us now: it feels like the light has been turned off, and we are walking through a never-ending tunnel of darkness. Well, no longer! According to today's text, the light is coming back on -- in the midst of financial and social injustice, in the midst of scandal and corruption, in the midst of the problems that assail our world every day… the light bulb has been screwed back in. There is something to pull us through the darkness.
Leah T.
Isaiah 9:1-4
Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to enter the moon's orbit. What heightened the excitement of this historic occasion is that the spacecraft began its flight around the moon on Christmas Eve 1968. To commemorate this special occasion and to recognize the religious significance of the date, all three astronauts -- Frank Borman, James Lovell, William Andrews -- decided to read a passage of scripture to all the inhabitants of planet earth. The three men decided the most appropriate text would be the creation story recorded in Genesis. The Gideons presented the space voyagers with a Bible from which to do their reading. Unfortunately, the Gideon Bible was not made of fire resistant material, and the astronauts could not take it along. How, they wondered, could they carry the Genesis text into space? The solution: print the Bible passage on the flame-resistant flight plan. Therefore, each time the astronauts read the day's agenda, their eyes also fell upon the Word of God. Because of this arrangement, the Word of God was constantly kept before the astronauts during their entire journey in outer space.
In the foreboding darkness of space looking down upon a light-blue, colored planet surrounded by a white halo of clouds, and beyond that the brilliance of other planets, stars, and moons, the astronauts must have truly understood the words of Isaiah, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light." Whatever darkness one may encounter, it shall always be penetrated by the light of Christ.
Ron L.
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Leonardo da Vinci will always be known as one of the greatest artists in history. However, he was also a scientist and inventor. He came up with ideas for a helicopter, a tank, and even the use of solar power, among many other things. However, because he was not educated in mathematics or Latin, his ideas were often met with ridicule. It is only now, centuries later, that we can see just how far ahead of his time da Vinci was.
Like da Vinci's ideas, many valid truths are often met with skepticism and ridicule. The same can be said for the cross. Many cannot accept what the cross represents – the means by which humanity can be restored to a right relationship with God. In Paul's day, as in ours, "the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (v. 18).
Craig K.
Matthew 4:12-23
In the 1985 film Clue, based on the board game of the same name, the guests of a mysterious dinner party are locked together in Mr. Boddy's mansion when their host, Mr. Boddy, is found dead. The guests can't decide whether to leave or to cover up the murder -- and the longer they wait to decide, the more people -- servants of the house -- wind up dead. At the end of the movie, a man who is supposedly an evangelist knocks on the door. "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand," he says. "Go away!" an anxious Mrs. Peacock shouts. "It's already here!" As it turns out, the evangelist is actually an FBI agent -- and after his appearance, the mystery is swiftly unraveled. Jesus' call to repentance in Matthew's text is a similar foreshadowing of the things that God will soon reveal.
Leah T.
Matthew 4:12-23
In 1946, a California lawyer needed a change in his life. Searching the want-ads in a Whittier newspaper, he read this: "Wanted: Congressional candidate with no previous political experience to defeat a man who has represented the district in the House for ten years. Any young man resident of district, preferably a veteran, fair education, may apply for job." Richard Milhous Nixon answered the ad, and his political career was launched all the way to the White House.
We are called to seek a vocation that is both personally rewarding and productive for the larger community. Some find it in the trades, others in the professions; but everyone equally makes a contribution to the benefit of society. There is a singular calling to which we all must adhere and that is to be disciples of the Lord. Jesus himself made this clear when he said to the fishermen Peter and Andrew, "Come, follow me." We know from the gospel stories that Peter and Andrew continued to fish, but their primary focus was always on serving Jesus. Let us enjoy the vocations to which we have been called, being sure that serving Jesus takes precedence above all other duties.
Ron L.
