generosity — Matthew 20:1-16 — November 26

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the US.  We remember today the story of the first Europeans to make a true “settlement” here.  Escaping religious persecution in Europe, they arrived to find impossibly inhospitable conditions.  Many of their company died, and they found that some of the original inhabitants of this land didn’t welcome the arrival [...]

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not impossible — Matthew 19:23-30 — November 25

There are those times when everything just seems impossible.  All of the challenges that we’re facing personally, regionally, and internationally sometimes seem insurmountable.  We wonder if we’re going to be able to make it through this life, or if somehow, we’ll get overwhelmed and lost in the maelstrom.
It’s at times like these that I’m so [...]

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the young — Matthew 19:13-22 — November 24

In this section of Matthew’s gospel, one thing is obvious:  Jesus likes those who are young.  In a culture which valued the elderly, and tended to dismiss the young, particularly children, Jesus invited the young into His Presence, just as He invited that other dismissed group, women.
When people were bringing their little children to Him [...]

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eunuchs — Matthew 19:1-12 — November 23

Nobody really liked a eunuch, except the one that the eunuch served.  Eunuchs in the days of Jesus were males who were castrated at an early age in order to be useful in areas of service requiring a non-aggressive personality.  Though this procedure assured the person of an income, it did not endear them to [...]

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let’s celebrate! — Mark 7:31-37 — November 22

Church of the Nativity Flock Fodder
Week of November 22, 2009
 
The Psalm: 93
 
1
The LORD is King; he has put on splendid apparel; *
the LORD has put on his apparel and girded himself with strength.
2
He has made the whole world so sure *
that it cannot be moved;
3
Ever since the world began, your throne has been established; *
you [...]

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outrageous! — Matthew 18:21-35 — November 21

Readers’ Digest runs a monthly column called “That’s Outrageous!”  It features stories of things going on, particularly in government, that defy the imagination in terms of brazen self-aggrandizement.  Some recent examples:

Outrageous! Get ‘Em Off the Road!
Even after multiple arrests, drunk drivers are handed the keys again and again.

Outrageous! Let’s Shut Them Down
These websites are an [...]

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little ones — Matthew 18:10-20 — November 20

Generally speaking, it’s not the “big stuff” that gets us in trouble, it’s the little ones.
Relationships, businesses, health, and reputations normally falter and fail, not because of huge decisions or actions done poorly, but because of inattention to small things like regular care, integrity in minor decisions, and faithfulness in small situations.  Most of us [...]

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the greatest — Matthew 18:1-9 — November 19

Some of us are old enough to remember when professional boxer, Mohammed Ali, proclaimed himself as “the greatest”.  Not just the greatest boxer, or the greatest athlete, but simply “the greatest”.  And though Ali has since mellowed, and has demonstrated true greatness in his charity work and in his struggle with Parkinson’s disease, his self-promotion [...]

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free — Mark 17:22-27 — November 18

Benjamin Franklin once said, “nothing is certain but death and taxes.”  In today’s reading, we have both.  And, in both cases, Jesus indicates, it’s possible to “pay” both, and yet still do so freely.
At this point in His ministry, Jesus was clear that He would die, violently, on purpose.  Speaking of Himself as “Son of [...]

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faithless generation — Matthew 17:14-21 — November 17

It must have been heart-breaking.  First, for the boy, suffering terribly and often from epilepsy.  The stigma, the potential for injury (falling into the cooking fire, or the stream), the anticipation of the next seizure, with no seeming relief.  And then for the father and his family, heart-breaking as they look on helplessly, being on [...]

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