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01/07/2013

ON HOLY GROUND

Scripture:

“‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your
sandals, for the place where you are standing is
holy ground.’” — Exodus 3:5

Why? “For the place you are standing on is
holy ground.” Moses was about to become
the leader of the children of Israel. This was
holy work, and indeed, he was standing on
“holy ground.” God wanted to teach Moses
at the outset that in order to do His holy work,
Moses must remain extremely sensitive.

Leaders can easily fall into the trap of being
out of touch with the people. Most leaders of
nations enjoy luxuries that the general public
does not. It’s easy to become insensitive to
the needs of the common man or unsympathetic
to a poor man’s plight. God, on the other hand,
says “Don’t you dare! My people are my precious
children.” Moses was commanded to remain
as sensitive as he was at that moment until the
day that he died.

Insensitivity is a trap we all can fall into. It’s
hard to empathize with the hungry if your stomach
is always full, or to feel for the homeless when we
are enjoying the comfort and warmth of our own
homes. But, friends, we in service of the Lord are
on "holy ground." We must remain acutely
sensitive to the needs of His children and do our
best to meet them, whenever and however we can.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

00:50 Posted in Blog | Permalink | Comments (0)

01/04/2013

FOLLOW YOUR STAR!

"We saw His star as it rose and have come
to do Him homage" (Matthew 2:2).

During World War II, a young bride from New
Jersey followed her soldier-husband to an
army camp on the edge of the California
desert. Her husband had advised her against
going because he knew that living conditions
would be primitive, at best. But she wanted
very much to be with him and he was unable
to change her mind. When the couple arrived
at the desert camp, the only housing they
could find was a run-down shack near an Indian
village. The heat was unbearable: up to 115
degrees in the shade. The wind blew constantly,
spreading sand all over everything. And, for the
young bride, the days were long and boring.
Her only neighbors were the Native Americans,
none of whom spoke English. When her husband
was ordered farther into the desert for maneuvers,
the loneliness and wretched living conditions got
the best of her. She wrote to her mother, "I can't
take any more of this. I want to come home!"
Several days later, she received a reply. In it, the
mother reminded her of the old family placard on
which these two lines were written:

Two men looked out from prison bars, one saw
mud, the other saw stars.

The daughter read these lines over and over again.
She began to feel ashamed of her response to the
situation she was in. She really didn't want to leave
her husband, and so she said to herself, "All right,
I'll look for the stars." In the days that followed she
began to make friends with her Native American
neighbors. She began to take lessons in weaving
and pottery from them. She became fascinated with
their culture and history -- everything about them.
Moreover, she began to study the desert. In the
process, she saw it wonderfully transformed from a
desolate, forbidding place to a marvelous expanse
of beauty. She studied the various forms of cacti,
the yuccas and the Joshua trees. She collected
sea shells that had been deposited there millions
of years before when the sands had been an ocean
floor. Later, she became such an expert on the area
that she wrote a book about it. A remarkable
transformation had taken place. But what had
changed, really, to make that possible? Not the
weather. Not the desert. Not the Native People.
What had changed was the woman's attitude.
Simply by changing her own attitude ("All right,
I'll look for the stars," she said), she had
transformed a miserable life situation into a highly
rewarding experience.

The Epiphany story invites each of us, now, to
follow that same star all the way down to the
center of our being. There, like the Magi, we
will know the true wisdom of the Christ Spirit.
There we will discover that without the Love of
Christ there is neither wisdom nor life. There we
will open our treasures and present to the
Redeemer our very lives, dedicated to His
ministry of loving service. We know our
Redeemer lives, because He lives in our soul!

( excerpts from Sunday Sermons Online)

16:00 Posted in Blog | Permalink | Comments (0)

01/03/2013

THE POINT SYSTEM

A man dies and goes to Heaven. Of course, St. Peter
meets him at the Pearly Gates.

St. Peter says, "Here's how it works. You need 100
points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good
things you've done, and I give you a certain number of
points for each item, depending on how good it was.
When you reach 100 points, you get in."

"Okay," the man says, "I was married to the same
woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in
my heart."

"That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "That's worth three
points!"

"Three points?" he says, slightly concerned. "Well, I
attended church all my life and supported its ministry
with my tithe and service."

"Terrific!" says St. Peter. "That's certainly worth a point."

"One point!?!" he moans, now really getting worried.
"I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a
shelter for homeless veterans."

"Fantastic, that's good for two more points," he says.

"Two points!" the man cries. "At this rate the only way I
get into Heaven is by the grace of God!"

St. Peter nods and says, "Bingo, 100 points! Come on in
my son!"

00:45 Posted in Blog | Permalink | Comments (0)