Thinking...
Readings:
Exodus 33: 12-23 - God says to Moses you shall know my name & Moses asks to 'know God's ways' but God's face remains hidden
1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10 The writer says faith leads to action; love leads to labour; hope leads to perseverance
Matthew 22: 15-22 Jesus faces the question about taxes & tells his questioners to render to Caesar that which is Caesar's, & to God that which is God's.
Over the last few weeks I've been trying to start my sermon with an 'issue' and then see what the Bible has to say t us on that issue (what do you mean, you hadn't noticed??).
The big issue at the moment remains the credit crisis.
What can we do in the face of greed, of gloom, of lack of confidence??
I'm aware of a number of people here in the villages who have lost their jobs, so I don't want to sound smug on this - it is hard to work out 'God's ways' in all this.
So what does Jesus say... 'give to God what belongs to God' - the Caesar bit is simple, it is marked with the face of Caesar - but we can never see God's face marked on things - we need to be more attentive, it isn't so obvious. But what do we have that isn't what God has first given?? Surely everything is God's - so we need to be ready to give it all to God, to use it all for good, to live as those who know we are recipients of God's generosity.
So... I need to give this some more thought!
Exodus 33: 12-23 - God says to Moses you shall know my name & Moses asks to 'know God's ways' but God's face remains hidden
1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10 The writer says faith leads to action; love leads to labour; hope leads to perseverance
Matthew 22: 15-22 Jesus faces the question about taxes & tells his questioners to render to Caesar that which is Caesar's, & to God that which is God's.
Over the last few weeks I've been trying to start my sermon with an 'issue' and then see what the Bible has to say t us on that issue (what do you mean, you hadn't noticed??).
The big issue at the moment remains the credit crisis.
What can we do in the face of greed, of gloom, of lack of confidence??
I'm aware of a number of people here in the villages who have lost their jobs, so I don't want to sound smug on this - it is hard to work out 'God's ways' in all this.
So what does Jesus say... 'give to God what belongs to God' - the Caesar bit is simple, it is marked with the face of Caesar - but we can never see God's face marked on things - we need to be more attentive, it isn't so obvious. But what do we have that isn't what God has first given?? Surely everything is God's - so we need to be ready to give it all to God, to use it all for good, to live as those who know we are recipients of God's generosity.
So... I need to give this some more thought!
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