Changed By God To Make A Difference For God

The apostle Paul tells us today to rejoice always. But how can we possibly do that? We live in a world gone mad with all its attendant hurts, heartaches, failures, and loss. Furthermore, we believe that God's awful judgment will one day rightfully fall in full on all the sin and evil in his world, and we remember we are part of the problem! So what's there to rejoice about? Since today we focus on John the Baptist, perhaps he is a good place for us to start. Check out what Fr. Maney has to say about it all and see what you think. Lectionary texts for today are Zephaniah 3.14-20; Isaiah 12.2-6; Philippians 4.4-7; Luke 3.7-18.

Advent is a season of waiting and watching. But for what are we waiting and watching? How we answer that question will determine in large part how happy or unhappy we are in this current mortal life. That is why it is so important to discover and/or embrace our Christian hope. Check out what Fr. Maney has to say about it all and see what you think. Lectionary texts for today are Malachi 3.1-4 ; Luke 1.68-79 (Benedictus); Philippians 1.3-11; Luke 3.1-6.

Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation, a time when we celebrate our Lord's first coming at his birth and his second coming in great power and glory to consummate his saving and restorative work won for us in his death and resurrection. But how should we spent this time of waiting? For what end? Check out what Fr. Sang has to say about it all and see what you think. Lectionary texts for today are Jeremiah 33.14-16; Psalm 25.1-10; 1 Thessalonians 3.9-13; Luke 21.25-36.

Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. But what kind of king is Jesus? For starters, he is a crucified king. What's that all about? And what does he demand of us? Why should we follow him? Can he really protect us from all that is bad in this world? Check out what Fr. Maney has to say about it all and see what you think. Lectionary texts for today are Daniel 7.9-10, 13-14; Psalm 93; Revelation 1.4-8; John 18.33-37.

During the Sundays between All Saints and Advent, we celebrate the rule of Christ the King. But why would we want to celebrate his rule? If Jesus really is King, isn't he doing a lousy job? Look at all that's wrong with the world and our lives! And what about all the talk of sacrifices in our epistle lesson today? Is God really an angry, capricious God who is bent on punishing us for our sins? Sadly, even many Christians think this about God. But our lessons tell a different story and describe a different God as revealed in the cross of Jesus. If we can wrap our minds around who God is and why we should love him it means we are people with things to do and places to go. Check out what Fr. Maney has to say about it all and see what you think. Lectionary texts for today are Daniel 12.1-3; Psalm 16; Hebrews 10.11-25; Mark 13.1-8.

Terry Gatwood is our seminarian in residence. He attends Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. God has chosen you to be a part of his family in the Church. All throughout the pages of Scripture you will find God’s working on your behalf to bring you into perfect fellowship with him and others because of his great love toward his creation. Even those things which sometimes surprise us in our quest to accomplish things have been designed for our benefit, to woo us into God’s kingdom, and to live out renewed lives in Jesus Christ. Check out what Terry has to say about it all and see what you think. Lectionary texts for today are Ruth 3.1-5, 4.13-17; Psalm 127; Hebrews 9.24-28; Mark 12.38-44.

Today we celebrate the Communion of Saints. But what does that mean? What is the Christian hope that serves as the basis for real joy, even in the midst of sorrow and loss? Check out what Fr. Maney has to say about it all and see what you think. Lectionary texts for All Saints' Day are Isaiah 25.6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21.1-6a; John 11.32-44.

Imagine you are a blind beggar who somehow knows that the guy who is passing you by can heal and and give you sight. What would you do? Now imagine you call out to him and he answers you. What would be going on inside you? He tells you your faith has made you well and you rejoice and follow him on his journey. But what about those of us who cry out to Jesus for healing and the answer is apparently no? Does this mean we don't have the needed faith? Not so fast, my friends. Better check out what Job has to say about this! Lectionary readings for today are Job 42.1-6, 10-17; Psalm 34.1-8 19-22; Hebrews 7.23-28; Mark 10.46-52.

When we are confronted with the enigma of evil rattling our world, we want answers. But the Bible is not so forthcoming. Yet Scripture is not entirely silent about what God is doing about evil in his world. Do we have ears to hear and faith to believe? Check out what Fr. Maney has to say about it all and see what you think. Lectionary texts for today are Job 38.1-7, 34-41; Psalm 104.1-9, 24, 35c; Hebrews 5.1-10; Mark 10.35-45.

The author of Hebrews tells us that the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword, living and active. But what does that mean and why should we care? We should care because we can run but we cannot hide from God's reality. The stakes are high: life and death. So what should we do? Check out what Fr. Maney has to say about it all and see what you think. Lectionary texts for today are Job 23.1-9, 16-17; Psalm 22.1-15; Hebrews 4.12-16; Mark 10.17-31.