Sunday morning words

By Vernita Kennen

My pastors usually include in their prayer as their sermons begin words that say something like "God, speak to us today, whether the words are ever spoken aloud or not." And one of the professors at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) that I really appreciated assured us that we would not always be moved by a particular sermon. He gave us permission to listen a bit and if we were not tracking simply to "preach your own sermon." I’ve been thinking more about these ways of hearing Sunday morning words lately.

One of the reasons might just be because I’ve been reading the sermon starters from ELCA World Hunger, written by David Creech. I have found reading them in preparation for the next Sunday makes me think during the week--and helps me listen to both the Word of God in scripture and the words of the sermon more carefully on Sunday. Go to www.elca.org/hunger and search for "Sermon Starters."

Bread for the World has a similar website and makes use of some materials published in Hunger for the Word: Lectionary Reflections on Food and Justice. Go to www.bread.org and search for "Bread for the Preacher." The three books for Years A, B, and C in the lectionary cycle are also available in print editions, too. They include hymn suggestions and children’s sermon ideas.

You can sign up to receive each or both of these on a regular basis. I think they will make your Sunday morning worship much more meaningful--and help you see how often the lessons speak to our work in hunger ministry.