Christ The King Sunday Sermon

Christ the King Sunday

Proper 29

John 18:33-37

"The Real King?"


33 Pilate entered the praetorium again and called Jesus, and said to him, "Are you the King of the Jews?"

34 Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?"

35 Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?"

36 Jesus answered, "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world."

37 Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice."RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

While taking a tour of Europe, a tourist visited a lovely estate in Italy. He admired the beautiful garden which had been taken care of in a wonderful way. He walked ground the garden, he came upon the gardener and said, " My, you have done a beautiful job with this garden. How long have you taken care of it.

The gardener replied," 25 years."

How often has the owner been to this estate?"

"Four times."

"When was he last here?"

"Twelve years ago."

"But, he must write to you often with instructions?"

"Never."

"Well, who comes to look after things? To make sure things are kept up?

"I am left pretty much alone. I take care of things."

But you keep the garden so lovely that one would think you were expecting the owner tomorrow."

"Today, sir, today,!!!"



"Studdard Kennedy, the great English chaplain used to say, "The judgment Day will be when you stand before God and the throne of heaven and God will turn, look you in the eye and say to you, "WELL.!!"



As you can tell from these two stories, our theme today concerns the second coming of Jesus Christ and the judgment which will come to each of us at this time. The first story reminds us that we must be ready or prepared for this coming since we don't know the time when he is coming again.

And the saying of Studdard Kennedy tells us that we will have to answer for our lives, God will look at us and ask us, "Well"....

How you answer will be very important.

Will you answer that you have lived a good life and try to impress the Judge with all your acts of righteousness? Will you answer that for most things in your life you were righteous. But honestly, there were a few areas that weren't so good? Or will you fall down on your knees as the Publican did in the temple and declare that you are a sinner only deserving God's punishment? Then the King of Kings will stretch out His hand from the right side of God's throne, lift you off of your knees and declare he has taken your punishment and then he will show you the place he prepared for you in his kingdom.

This morning, we are going to look at these 3 responses to the King of kings and God the Father. We can answer, I am the king of my life, or The king and I together control my life, or the King, not I, controls my life .

First I am king. This is the response that acknowledges that I control my own life. This is the response which is seen very clearly in the old Burger King slogan which said, "Have it your way." Or the favorite song by Frank Sinatra, "I did it my way". The slogan and that song speak very clearly of the thought which is very important in our world that I do and can control the destiny of my life. It is the thought that whatever I want, what ever I do, is okay because I did it my way. It is the thought which says selfishness is okay. I need to look out for number one and no one else. It is the thought that success is good, no matter how I achieve it. It doesn't matter how many people are hurt or treated unfairly in my quest for success as long as I feel good.

This kind of thought is seen in all areas of society. The million dollar athletes who play only when they feel like it, and who use drugs to make themselves feel good or high. The corporate executive who steps on as many toes as possible to climb higher up the company ladder of success. We could go on and on. All of us at one time or another have shown our selfish side when we are king of our lives. No one can tell us what to do or how to act. We can't see anything around us but our own needs. The welfare of our family or children take second place to our wants, our needs, our desires.

From history one of the people who epitomizes the highest degree of selfishness, personal comfort and an utter disregard for people was Louis XIV. His monument to himself the great palace of Versailles which still stands as a symbol of what severe selfishness means. Louis became king of France at the age of 5. He took the sun as his personal symbol of his rule. France, Europe and other parts of the world Louis thought revolved around him.

He was the most pampered person ever to live on the face of this earth. No one since has known such elegance.

As you stand in front of God's throne on that judgment day and God looks you in the eye and says, "Well,"

Will you answer that You had life your way, "I did did it my way??"

The next response is probably the most common and in that I think it is the most dangerous; the response which says the King and I control my life. This one seems good but upon closer examination it is really deadly. This response says that Jesus, the King and I control my life. There are areas in life that I turned over to Jesus, most areas of life, but there are some areas which I kept for myself.

For example, a story from the life of Pastor James Bjorge as told in his book Girded With Truth . He says, "I can remember as a child I liked to play in the town cemetery. I liked to drown gophers among the tombstones. ''Mom was not too fond of this activity. So she made a rule no more playing in the cemetery. One lazy summer afternoon, I found myself without much to do, so I thought of that forbidden cemetery. Off I went, knowing I was doing wrong but reasoned that I had been doing so much right lately, that just this time, I could be bad, and Mom wouldn't have to know. When I returned home Mom asked where I had been and I told her at a friend's house. A week past and my guilty conscious got the best of me and I confessed to Mom exactly where I had been. Now don't misunderstand, I was normally a good boy. But in this one area, I really wanted to play in that cemetery."

We are all like that small boy. We let Jesus be king of most areas of life, but there are some areas, or maybe just one area where we still want control. We are perceived by most people around us as being good, upstanding individuals, but we know in our heart of hearts that there is that one area which we need to repent and ask for forgiveness.

When you stand before the judgment throne and God says "Well"

Will you say, Jesus was king of my life, except sir, except .................

A third response we could make as we stand before the throne of judgment is the one which Christ wants us to make. It is the response which says, Jesus the king, not I, had complete control of my life. This response says I know that I am a sinner in need of complete forgiveness and the only way that is possible is to fall on my knees at the foot of the cross and lay my sins on the back of Jesus. Then, only then, can I feel the mercy, love and compassion of Jesus as He lifts me up and declares that I am free from sins and stand as a redeemed person in the eyes of God.

This response is made when I can let go of myself, turn over my pride, my selfishness, my whole life to the king of kings. This response is possible when I can acknowledge that there is a part of my life I have withheld from Christ's power. This response is possible when I turn over every dark corner, every hidden thought, every secret wish to the cleansing power of Christ.

When I know and believe that I stand helpless before the king of kings, when I know that in him I can find a friend and Saviour. When I realize I cannot make it on my own, then and only then can the redeeming and cleansing power of Christ wash away my sins completely. Then I will stand as white as snow before the throne of God. He will see me white and cleansed and as God turns his head to glance at his Son, he will see the image of one hanging from a cross, bloodied, bruised and broken, red with the blood for my sins and your sins. Then from that throne, a hand will stretch forth, and you and I will be led into the kingdom that was prepared for us from the beginning of time.

This is all possible because as the words of a favorite hymn says, "What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer, Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear-- All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer."

As we get to know Jesus as our friend, as we trust him and his saving power, then, then we will be able to turn over every inch of our lives to his loving tender mercy.

When you stand before the throne of God and he says: "Well"

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale November 2003 updated November 20, 2006
You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

24th Sunday after Pentecost Sermon

24th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 28

Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25

Mark 13:1-8

"The High Priest"

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,

13 then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet.

14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.


19 ¶ Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,

20 by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,

21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful;

24 and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

Our sermon for this week is based on the second lesson from Hebrews.

A little introduction to the book of Hebrews first. We are not sure who wrote the book, maybe Paul, but we do know why the book was written.

The writer was addressing a Jewish Christian community who had begun to loose faith, or were not as "fired up" about their new faith as they had been at the beginning. So, the writer addresses them, trying to revive their faith and passion for Christ.

He reminds them what Christ did for them, dying on the cross, rising on the third day, and then ascending into heaven many days later. He reminds them that Jesus is the great high priest, the one who offered not just a sacrifice of lambs, or dove, but offered his own body as a sacrifice for sin. He did not do this over and over again as the priest in the temple did, but he sacrificed himself just once for the sins of all generations.

Then he goes on to remind them what their response to this mighty act of Jesus should be. It should be loving, forgiving, and being kind to your neighbor. And he says they should meet regularly as a community of faith to uphold each other's in faith.

So that brings us to look closely at the verses in our lesson today with the background as a basis for our thoughts.

The beginning verses today remind us of the mighty work of Christ as the great high priest. The priest that offered not doves, or lambs for a sacrifice to God, but his own body and blood.

Jesus sacrificed himself because almighty God needed a sacrifice for our sins, the sins of human kind. God is a just God and a forgiving God, but at the same time a righteous God who wants a holy sacrifice for sin. So the writer of Hebrews is reminding us that Jesus sacrificed himself for all sinner, sinners in the past as well as sinner now and in the future.

"George Buttrick wrote a book called Jesus Came Preaching. In it he describes a picture he once saw in an Italian church. It is a picture of the crucifixion of Christ. As you look at it closely you notice a large and shadowy figure behind the figure of Jesus. The shadowy figure is God, so that the nail that pierces the hand of Christ also pierces the hand of God, and the spear that pierces the side of Christ also pierces the side of God.

The picture makes the point that God was in Christ reconciling himself to the world. The crucifixion does not represent God against Jesus the human, but God incarnate taking upon himself the sin of the world."1

As the great high priest, Jesus made the sacrifice upon the altar of righteousness for our sins. For your sins and for my sins.

And when he did, our sins were forgiven and they are forgotten. God through Jesus does not hold grudges. Our sins have been wiped clean by the blood of Jesus when we seek forgiveness.

It is like the father in the following story:

A young man borrowed the family car without permission, knowing he could have it home and safely in the garage before his father found out. He hadn't reckoned on getting rear-ended at the second intersection he came to. No way to conceal the damage, he parked the car and closed the garage door, then spent an evening agonizing over how to deal with his father when he arrived home.

When his dad walked in, the young man flashed a look of terror. He told his father everything, complete with profuse apology. His father walked with the son to the garage and looked long and hard and silently at the damage.

Then he said, "Insurance will cover it. It wouldn't have covered the broken trust between you and me, however. Fortunately your apology took care of that."

"Can you ever forgive me, Dad?"

"I have already. You have learned your lesson. Forget about it."

A week later the son, still guilt-driven, came to his father and said, "Dad, in case they raise our insurance rates because of the accident, I'm willing to earn the money to pay the difference in the premiums."

His father didn't even look up from his newspaper as he said, simply, "What accident".

And the Lord, "I will remember their sin no more."

Jesus paid the price for our sins and made us clean before the almighty Father. Because God and Jesus are one, our sins have been cleansed forever.

It is like the little girl in the following. This is a story of pure grace. Listen:

"In the west during the torrential spring rains, the rivers frequently rise and flood the lowlands. There was a little girl who lived in the valley of one of these mighty rivers and one weekend she was going with her parents to visit friends. As she was packing, she placed her dearest possession in her suitcase---a little rag doll. She had made it with her own hands and cared for it with a mother's love. But her mother told her she could not bring it with her because it was too dirty, threadbare and falling apart. Reluctantly she left it home.

Over the weekend, a sudden storm hit the valley and the river reached over it banks and flooded all the homes. The little girl stood on the hillside looking down into the flooded valley; all she could think of was her little rag doll. When she could return home she rushed into her room, and her worst hear was realized---the flood had washed away her little rag doll.

One day while she was in town, she happened to pass a salvage store where objects found in the muddy debris were sold to raise money for the flood victims. To her surprise and overwhelming joy, there was her little rag doll with a price tag on it---25 cent. She had not money of her own, she went back home and helped her mother clean up. she earned a few pennies, she also helped the neighbors and earned a few more pennies. Finally, she had her 25 cents. She rushed to the store and placed her little sacrifice on the counter and claimed her doll.

As she walked from the store clutching her treasure in her arms, she was heard to say, "I made you, I lost you, I bought you back and now your are really mine!!!!"

Those could have been the words of God to us, "I made you, I lost you. I bought you back through the blood of Christ, and now you are really mine! Such grace!!

Jesus as the high priest has forgiven our sins, forgotten our sins so that we might live in His grace and peace. And that brings us to the second set of verses in our second lesson.

Here the author is telling his readers to love one another, stir up good works in the community because we have been cleansed by the blood of Christ. Just as Jesus has forgiven us and washed away our sins, then we need to reach out to those around us with that same kind of love.

A closing story tells us about how to love one another.

A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert.

During some point of the journey they had an argument,and one friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis,where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

The other friend replied,"When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale November 13, 2006

You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.

1Source: Reported in John Stott, The Cross of Christ p158. Stott notes that Buttrick does not indicate in which church the picture hangs.

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Sermon for the 23rd Sunday after Petnecost

23nd Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 27

1Kings 17:8-16

Mark 12: 38-44

"Sacrificial Lifestyle"



8 ¶ Then the word of the LORD came to him,

9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you."

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."

11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand."

12 And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a cruse; and now, I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."

13 And Elijah said to her, "Fear not; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make for yourself and your son.

14 For thus says the LORD the God of Israel, 'The jar of meal shall not be spent, and the cruse of oil shall not fail, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"

15 And she went and did as Elijah said; and she, and he, and her household ate for many days.

16 The jar of meal was not spent, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Elijah.RSV

Mark 12
38 And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and to have salutations in the market places

39 and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,

40 who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."

41 ¶ And he sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.

42 And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny.

43 And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.

44 For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living."RSV

Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen

A modern parable: "Once upon a time, a pig and a chicken were walking down a village street. They came upon a church sign which was advertising a bazaar and breakfast which was going to be held in a few days.

At the bottom of the sign the menu was given, it read 'Ham and eggs will be served from 6:30 to 8:00 am.' The chicken turned to the pig and said, "See!!' Even we can help the work of the church!!!"

"Yes," said the pig, "but yours is only a contribution, mine is a SACRIFICE."

Now for a story in a serious vein, " Two wealthy Christian a lawyer and a merchant joined a party that was going around the world. Their pastor asked them to take pictures of any thing which they thought was unusual.

In Korea, as they were traveling, they saw in a field a boy pulling a crude plow, while an old man held in his hands the handles.. The lawyer was amused, and took a picture.

Commenting to the guide, he said,"That is an unusual sight. I suppose they are very poor."

"Yes," came the answer. "They are poor, that is the family of Chi Noui. When the church was being built in this area they were excited to give something to help it along, but they had no money so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring they are taking turns pulling the plow themselves."

The lawyer said thoughtfully, "That must have been a real sacrifice "

The guide said, "They did not call it that." They thought it was fortunate they had an ox to sell.".

The lawyer was real quiet after that event. When they reached home, the lawyer took the picture to the pastor. As he sat down in the pastor's study he said forcefully,"I want to double my pledge to the church. And please give me some plow work to do. I have never known what sacrifice for the church meant. A converted Korean taught me. I am ashamed to say I have never yet given anything to my church that cost me anything."

Mark says, "Jesus sat down opposite the treasury. And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins which make a penny.....Jesus said: 'Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living."!

The meaning of this story is very clear. Jesus is pointing up the true emphasis on giving, giving not the leftovers, or a little, bit so that a person won't notice it, but giving from the point of sacrifice.

One pastor in a sermon on this text said pointing text said, "It is simply that true giving is relatively to what is left, not absolutely the gift. As Jesus sat there among the alms boxes and watched people making their contributions out of them all one widow stirred him and moved him to say. Here was the real thing. To put the matter with stark concreteness it was her next meal. The temple was full of the noise of coins cropping. The thirteen big receptacles, shaped like ear trumpets made a lot clanging of metal on metals. Jesus' ears were attuned to the fairest noise of all, the fulling of two small coins, the smallest in circulation, worth in purchasing power about two cents...Yet.....it has was the one which caught the attention of Jesus".

Why was this giving so different, so unusual? Because this widow was willing to give from the heart. Her love of God knew no bounds. She gave even though she couldn't afford it. She gave because she wanted to give. She was not compelled by guilt, or fear, or reward, she gave because she was in love, in love with God. She gave because she felt a deep commitment to God. She gave because this was one way she could respond to God's blessings in her life. She gave sacrificially. She gave in humble respect for God. She gave quietly with no fanfare, no noise, but it was the small noise of her sacrifice that drown out all the noise in Jesus' ears, The noise of the big givers who gave so that all would see their righteousness. This noise of two small coins was heard above the show, the fanfare of the Pharisees giving so everyone would know they were up-holding the law. This widow gave from her heart and it was the noise of love which stirred Jesus to say, "This poor widow has put in more than. all....out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living,"

Maybe a story from the Seagull Methodist Newsletter from San Diego will help make the point. It is a modern parable from an Internal Revenue agent: he says "The other day I checked an odd return. Some guy with an income under $10,000 claimed he gave $1,248.00 to some church. Sure he was within the 20% limit but it looked mighty suspicious to me. So, I dropped in on the guy and asked him about his return. I thought he'd become nervous like most of them do, but not this guy.

"Have you a receipt from the church?" I asked, figuring that would make him squirm.

"Sure" he replied, "I always drop them in a drawer." And off he went to get his checks and receipts

" Well," I said to myself, "he had me. One look and I knew he was on the level. I apologized for bothering him and explained that I had to check on deductions that seem unusually high .

As I was leaving he invited me to attend his church.

"Thanks," I said, "but I belong to a church myself . "

"Excuse me," he replied, "That possibility never occurred to me."

As I drove home I kept wondering what he meant by that last remark. It wasn't until Sunday morning when I put my usual dollar in the offering plate that it came to me."

Sacrificial giving is linked to trust as seen in our first lesson from Kings, trusting in God to provide, to take care of our needs is seen dramatically in this story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. In this story, Elijah is commanded by God to go into a Gentile city and there a widow will care for him. To understand this story in all of its fullness, you need to know that there was a great famine and drought in the land, it had lasted already for three years.

This widow was giving to Elijah the small meal she had planned for herself and her son. Their only meal of the day. She even gives us a clue as to her physical welfare in that she says, she and her son are going to eat, then they will die. She was on her last bit of strength. She had fought for three years the hardships of this famine and drought, now her strength was failing, her will power to live was going fast. But a man of God comes to her and says,"please make me a cake out of the only bit of food you have left."

And what does the widow do??

She trusts in the saying of Elijah as he says, "The jar of meal shall not be spent the cruse of oil shall not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth."

Elijah says to her that God will provide, provide for this meal and all the rest,until rain comes and the land can produce again, As the text says, "She went and did as Elijah said; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not spent neither did the cruse of oil fail,... ."

This widow trusted in the word of God to provide and that word came true for her. She trusted, she risked for God and God provided for her. Now notice it didn't say that she ate better than before. She ate the same meal and used the same oil for cooking, but there was plenty. She trusted God to provide not to extremes, but in a simple way. She wasn't hoping she would win the Iowa lottery. She was hoping God would give her some meal to continue to make cakes for her family. And God did provide. God came through. He delivered. God continued to be with that widow as he promised, as they ate, God provided.

A church member who was not exceptionally wealthy had a reputation of giving to many causes. One day he was asked rather frankly how he could give so much and still have some left over so that he and his family would life comfortably but modestly. "You see," he said, "as I shovel the money out, God shovels it in. And God has a bigger shovel than I do!

Now comes the part of the sermon which turns the attention to you and I.

Can you relate to the two widows in these stories, and I don't mean the fact they were widows. Can you relate to the one's sacrificial giving and the other's trust in God to provide the means for living?

Where are you?

Does this all seem so foreign to us that it is like a story out of a fairy tale book?

Or have you experienced the joy of sacrificial giving, the extreme happiness of a deep love for God in which giving becomes a source of joy and not a duty? Can you give and trust God completely to provide without thinking of getting it back or having regrets that you even gave?

The third verse to a very familiar Hymn speaks of trusting in God to provide; Listen: "Nothing in my hand I bring; Simply to thy cross I cling. ., .,, Naked, come to thee for dress, Helpless, look to thee for grace...Foul, I to the fountain fly;...Wash me, Saviour, or I die."

Do you know the hymn, yes Rock of Ages. As we cling to the cross of Jesus, we rely on the Father's care to provide for us. It is in complete surrender, it is in living sacrificially, when that trust in God is answered by His caring hand.

But not only does He care for us with physical things, as food, shelter and warmth. I believe He gives us each other to build up our spirits and faith in Him.

The two widows were a source of inspiration, the first was a sign to Elijah that God was still with him, and the second was a sign to the disciples and us that Jesus wants us to live in complete trust that God will provide as we sacrificially give to Him from our blessings. You and I are signs from God for each other as we walk this journey of faith. I see your witness in your lifestyle and you see mine, and hopefully, we can draw strength from each other. But that is only possible as you and I are walking the road of faith as Jesus would want us to, living sacrificially and trusting in God's care to provide.

The question can be asked each of us, are we a good examples for our brothers and sisters in Christ? As a brother or sister looks at my life or your life can they draw encouragement for their faith? Can another see in you or me a love for Christ and a love for God which allows me to trust completely in His power so that I can live sacrificially? What does another see as they observe your life?

"A man was asked to visit a member of the church, but he was hesitating in going. It had been a rough week at work with a lot of overtime and then demands from the family.

He felt he was too tired to visit and besides he wouldn't be a comfort to anyone as lousy as he felt.

But he went anyway. He drove up to the house and waited in the car for a few moments as he prayed for guidance.

The couple welcomed him in with a warm greeting. He could see the man was recovering well from his open heart surgery and the man's and woman's face were beaming with the joy of life.

They said to him, "Come, let me fix you some coffee...you look down and a little tired let's talk...God answered that man's prayers. He gave him the guidance of this couple who knew the journey of faith was difficult as they walked it these many years. They could reach out a comforting hand."

God does provide sometimes in ways in which we least expect, but God's ways are not our ways as the Bible says.

Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale November 7, 2006
You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.