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BE PREPARED Wisdom 6:12-16; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Matthew 25:1-13 A youngster applied for a job as a farm hand. When the farmer asked him for his qualifications, he said: “I can sleep when the wind blows.” The farmer was puzzled but he hired the young man.A few nights later, there was a violent storm. The farmer and his wife woke up and began quickly checking things. They found a supply of logs near the fireplace; the implements were in the storage shed; the tractor was in the garage; the barn was properly locked; the animals were calm. The farmer grasped

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CREDIBLE SERVANT LEADERSHIPMalachi 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10; 1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9, 13; Matthew 23:1-12 A pastor was excited that a university professor was coming to his parish. The pastor endeavoured to prepare and to deliver better homilies. A few months later, while chatting with the professor, the pastor found that the professor came to the parish not because of the homilies; he came because an elderly couple made him feel welcomed and valued. Hospitality outdid erudition. Servanthood surpassed showmanship. That’s the thrust of this Sunday’s readings.Malachi condemns the priests for not living up to the priestly ideal and for causing the people to

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LOVE IN 3DExodus 22:20-26; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10; Matthew 22:34-40 At the entrance to the harbour at the Isle of Man there are two lights. One would think that two signals would confuse the pilot. No! The pilot must keep both in line for the ship to safely enter the channel. It is the same with life. We need to keep the three dimensions of love—love of God, love of others, and love of self—in line; then we remain safe in the channel of life.The Sunday readings challenge us to learn and practise these three dimensions of the “greatest commandment”. In

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DIFFERING LOYALTIESIsaiah 45:1, 4-6; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b; Matthew 22:15-21 Two puppeteers were arguing over who should control the strings of the puppet on the stage. As they argue, one tries to wrest the strings from the other. The puppet is pulled this way and that as each puppeteer pulls the string to an arm or leg, hand, or foot. Our varied commitments can do the same to us. Family, school/ workplace, church, government: to a varying extent, these determine the way we spend our time, energy, and resources. We feel pulled in different directions and helplessly out of control. Who

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FIRST CATCH THE RABBITReading 1 Isaiah 25:6-10a, Reading 2 Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20, Gospel Matthew 22:1-14 A nineteenth-century recipe for rabbit pie begins with the injunction: “First catch the rabbit.” The writer knew how to put first things first.That’s precisely what the guests in this Sunday’s gospel parable did not do!It was Jewish custom to send out invitations and to prepare food according to the number who accepted (like the modern RSVP!). When the meal was ready, the host would send servants to summon the invitees. In the parable, the king sent servants twice to summon the guests, but they “made

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TENANTS, NOT OWNERSIsaiah 5:1-7; Philippians 4:6-9; Matthew 21:33-43 The angel Gabriel returned from surveying the earth and reported to God: “You own a choice piece of real estate called earth. But the tenants to whom you’ve leased it are destroying it. They have polluted your rivers; fouled the air; degraded the soil; destroyed rainforests… In another few years, it won’t be fit to inhabit. By any rule of sound management, you have one option.” Raising his trumpet to his lips, Gabriel asked: “Shall I sound the eviction notice?”God said: “No, Gabriel! Not yet. You are right, but I keep thinking

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THE ENDGAME MATTERSEzekiel 18:25-28; Philippians 2:1-11 or 2:1-5; Matthew 21:28-32 The 1984 French Open final. The legendary John McEnroe arrived on court that day amid a 42-match winning streak. He raced to a two-set lead with his usual aggressive style that seemed destined to turn the match into a rout. Then Lendl broke him in the sixth game of the third set and the match turned around. McEnroe’s last shot was a potentially easy volley that he tiredly knocked out of court; it seemed to symbolize the steady decay of his game.McEnroe’s 42 prior wins did not matter; his amazing

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IS GOD UNFAIR?Isaiah 55:6-9; Philippians 1:20-24, 27; Matthew 20:1-16 Robert De Moor shares an incident from his childhood: “When the apples ripened, mom would sit all seven of us down… with pans and knives until the mountain of fruit was reduced to neat rows of filled canning jars. She never bothered keeping track of how many we did… When the job was done, the reward for everyone was the same: a large chocolate-dipped cone. A stickler might argue it wasn’t quite fair… but I can’t remember anyone complaining about it. A family understands it operates under a different set of

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