March 13, 2011 — First Sunday of Lent Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Psalm 51; Romans 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19; Matthew 4:1-11 We humans were called by God to be good stewards – and we blew it! That’s the sad tale recounted in the Scripture readings we hear today. Just two weeks ago, on the Eighth Sunday […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of March 6, 2011
March 6, 2011 — Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Deuteronomy 11:18, 26-28, 32; Psalm 31; Romans 3:21-25, 28; Matthew 7:21-27 How solid is the foundation for your life? That’s the question Jesus challenges us with in the Gospel passage from Matthew 7. The wise man builds his house on rock, and the rain, floods, and […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Feb. 27, 2011
February 27, 2011 — Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 49:14-15; Psalm 62; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Matthew 6:24-34 How much does God love you? As much, he says through the prophet Isaiah, as a mother loves her child. And although we may hear about an occasional mother who may forget or reject her child, the […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Feb. 20, 2011
February 20, 2011 – Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18; Psalm 103; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23; Matthew 5:38-48 In a way, the whole of Holy Scripture is a commentary on the message God told Moses to give the Israelites: “Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy” (Lev 19:2). The rest of […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Feb. 13, 2011
February 13, 2011 – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 119; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37 or 5:20-22, 27-28, 33-34, 37 Choices, choices, choices! They are all around us. It doesn’t matter whether you look at the selection of breads in the grocery store, or consider what model of car you need, or […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Feb. 6, 2011
February 6, 2011 – Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 58:7-10; Psalm 112; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16 Why do you perform good deeds? Is your goal the glory of God, or are you looking for human praise? The motivation behind our service is important to God, according to our Lord Jesus Christ. In a […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Jan. 30, 2011
January 30, 2011 – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; Psalm 146; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12 All too often, it seems, God doesn’t give us the comfort we want, but instead challenges us to live on a higher level than we’d like. What we’d really like is for God to congratulate us […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Jan. 23, 2011
January 23, 2011 – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 8:23 – 9:3; Psalm 27; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12-23 or 4:12-17 What would you do if you heard Jesus calling you? How would you respond? People do respond to him in different ways, you know. The rich young ruler went away sorrowful, because […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Jan. 16, 2011
January 16, 2011 – Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; Psalm 40; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34 The Corinthian Christians must have been shocked when they received a letter from the Apostle Paul, who had founded that Church not long before. They thought they were making great progress in following the new faith […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Jan. 9, 2011
January 9, 2011 – The Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17 On the face of it, Jesus’ baptism by St. John the Baptist would seem to have been unnecessary. At least, that’s how it seemed to John. The baptism he proclaimed, as we heard in Advent, was a […]
