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"Let's Give Up Counting"
Matthew 18: 21-35
Colossians 3: 12-14
(Read Matthew 18:21-22)
Once upon a time, there was a man who had a dog and a cat which were the joys of his life.
Having to take an extended business trip to Europe, he left his prize pets in the care of his brother.
About a week into his trip, he called to see how the critters were doing. “Well, your dog is fine, but your cat is dead.”
The owner was brokenhearted. He screamed at his brother: “How could you be so cruel and insensitive?!
Don’t you know how much I loved that cat? You could have said, ‘Your cat is up a tree and we can’t get her down.’
Then in few days, you could have called and said, ‘Your cat is down from the tree, has broken a bone, and is in the animal hospital.’
Then a couple of days later, when I was better prepared, you could have called and said, ‘I’m
sorry, but your cat has passed away in her sleep. She felt no pain.’” “You’re right,” the brother
replied. “Please forgive me for being so insensitive.” “Okay,” said the pet owner. “But if it hap-
pens again, we’re done. I will not forgive.” The following week, the man called his brother from
Europe again. “How is my dog?” he asked. “Your dog is up a tree, and we can’t get him down.”
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"There's a Wideness in God's Mercy"
Psalm 86:1-7
Genesis 21:8-21
Before we read this morning’s lesson, we need some background. Abram had been promised by
God that he would be father of a great nation; that his offspring would number more than the stars
in the sky or grains of sand on the shore. Yet as the months and years passed, and as Abe and his
wife Sarai grew further beyond childbearing age, their doubt and desperation grew as well. At
Sarai’s behest, Abram took her slave-girl Hagar as a wife, and she conceived. But from the time of
conception, Sarai - driven by jealousy - began to mistreat Hagar terribly; so much so that Hagar ran
away. After receiving assurance from an angel of God that she, too, would bear a son, and that he,
too, would father a great nation, the angel instructed Hagar to return to the house of Abram. She
did, and soon gave birth to a son, who Abram named Ishmael.
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"Returning Home"
Psalm 84: 1-4, 10-12
Psalm 118: 19-29
As Dorothy Gale awakens from her deep slumber, she hears a familiar voice: “Dorothy ---
Dorothy! It’s me – Aunt Em….. Wake up honey.” “--- no place like home….. There’s no place like
home….. no place…..” “Dorothy, Dorothy dear, it’s Aunt Em darling.” “Oh, Auntie Em, it’s you.”
In response to Professor Marvel who’s leaning into the window of Dorothy’s room, Uncle Henry
claims: “She got quite a bump on the head – we kinda thought for a minute she was gonna leave
us.” Dorothy tries to sit up in bed: “But I did leave you, Uncle Henry – that’s just the trouble.
And I tried to get back for days and days.” “There, there, lie quiet now. You just had a bad
dream.” Then one by one, they come to her bedside: “Sure --- remember me --- your old pal
Hunk.” “And me ---- Hickory.” Then Zeke: “You couldn’t forget my face, could you?” After
arguing that it was no dream, but rather “a real, truly live place’ -- most of it beautiful, but some
of it not very nice -- Dorothy Gale concedes, “Oh, but anyway, Toto, we’re home.”
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"It's Not About Competition, It's About Community"
1 Corinthians 12:1-31
I’d like us to reflect for a moment on the word “competition.” What does that word mean to
you…….?
There has been much research in the fields of psychology and sociology trying to determine at
what stage in a child’s development the desire to compete is born. Surely, this desire takes shape
very early in life. This is particularly evident in siblings close in age who learn to compete for mom’s
or dad’s love and attention. Competition. It’s an innate part of each and every one of us, to a great-
er or lesser degree. Some folks are more competitive than others; some to an extreme.
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"Shaken - Up"
Isaiah 56:6-8
Acts 10: 9-23
Guest pastor - Rev Matt Skolnik
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"The WOW Factor"
Matthew 9:27-31
Psalm 19:1-4
The city has never been more abuzz. Hotels and motor inns for miles around are booked solid.
Restaurants and retailers have doubled inventories for these three days of doubled tourist population.
Banners hang across city thoroughfares and flyers fill mail boxes announcing that for which the city
braces itself like a host site for the Olympics; waiting breathlessly for the front publicists and production
coordinators.