Sermons on Astarte:

Nothing Ordinary About Our Call

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 18, 2022

Our evangelical mission is anything but ordinary.

This Sunday is best called the “3rd Sunday after Pentecost.” I say it is best called that because it reminds us that Christ’s Catholic Church is Pentecostal–evangelical in the original sense. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit, working in us individually, as families, and as community to bring the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:51-62, Galatians 5:13-18, 1 Kings 19:16, 1 Kings 19:19-21

Denomination: Catholic

Prophets In Our Lives

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jul 2, 2024

A true friend might try to tell me the truth, but I reject his words or her suggestions. Our friend is acting prophetically toward us. That is an act of love, real love.

Fourteenth Sunday in Course 2024 “Heed or resist, you rebels, you will know a prophet has been among you!” Today’s words from Ezekiel were not just for the Jewish leaders who had abandoned true worship of the One God, the Lord, for the obscene worship ceremonies centered around Baal and Astarte. ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 2:2-5, Psalm 123:1-4, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Mark 6:1-6

Denomination: Catholic

No Power In Death

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 30, 2023

ready yourself every evening when you retire, repenting any sins you may have committed so you can confidently commit yourself to the arms of Christ.

Thirteenth Sunday in Course 2023 Anyone who has even modest cultural understanding has heard of the prophet Elijah, who is associated with Israelite king Ahab and his pagan wife, Jezebel. Like us, Elijah lived in a culture that had turned its back on the true God, YHWH, and fallen into all kinds ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 10:37-42, Romans 6:3-11, 2 Kings 4:8-16, Psalm 89:2

Denomination: Catholic

The Ark Is Returned And Samuel Leads Israel Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Jan 20, 2003

God’s sovereignty is shown in the way he brings the Ark back to Israel and in the way he brings victory over the Philistines

The Philistines have had the ark in their possession for 7 months. During that time they’ve suffered all sorts of disasters. People have broken out in lumps, some have died. At least one of their idols has been knocked down and destroyed. And eventually they decide it’s time to get rid of this ...read more

Denomination: Anglican

The Two Kinds Of Saints We Must Pray For In Our Day Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Oct 12, 2019

Love and fear are the two driving forces in human nature, so we need two kinds of saints today.

Tuesday of 28th Week in Course 2019 St. Theresa of Jesus (of Avila) There are two forces that drive the human being. On the one hand, love responds to the eternal creative and embracing Trinity, who loved us into existence and longs to divinize us. Fear, on the other hand, responds to the evil and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:16-25, Luke 11:37-41

Denomination: Catholic

The Real Resurrection Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 4, 2016

We must stay in the game, even when we are tired or frustrated by results unseen.

Thursday of 10th Week in Course I can’t ignore the remarkable juxtaposition of the first reading and psalm with the weather events of the past weeks. The northern kingdom of Israel was the richer of the twin Hebrew nations, rich in agriculture, mining and trade. The kingdom of Judah was a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:41-46

Denomination: Catholic

The True God Is Loving, Compassionate--And Jealous

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Feb 6, 2024

What it means when we say God is a “jealous” God. He won’t let us change religion to suit our own passions and political desires. He loves us too much to permit that.

Saturday of the Fifth Week in Course 2024 Today we hear about the apostasy of the first king of the North of Israel, Jeroboam. Apostasy is the turning aside from true religion to the worship of a different god. The true God, as we know it from Christian revelation, is immaterial, eternal, ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:1-10, Psalm 106:6-7, Psalm 106:19-22, 1 Kings 12:26-32, 1 Kings 13:33-34  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Catholic

These Are The Days Of Elijah

Contributed by Otis Mcmillan on May 20, 2021

Jesus seems to speak about two comings of Elijah, one that lies in the future “to restore all things” and another in their immediate past concerning John the Baptist, who would call the nation to repentance. Those days are here again!

1Ki 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 1Ki 18:17 ¶ And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:1, 1 Kings 18:17-21

Denomination: Methodist

Who Claims Our Devotion? Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 18, 2020

Our devotion is not to a book, not even to a church building, and not even to our fellow parishioners. We derive our identity as Catholics from our devotion to the lord of the Sabbath, the lord of our lives, Our Lord, Jesus the Christ.

Feast of St. Agnes 2020 Tuesday of 2nd week in Course For generations after the Hebrews settled in the Holy Land, they acknowledged only God, the Lord, as their leader. But in the time of the prophet-priest Samuel, these tribes began to worry him about a king. The whole point of the covenant God ...read more

Scripture: Mark 2:23-28, 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Denomination: Catholic

Faith Seeking Understanding

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Mar 1, 2014

God redeemed the world through suffering, and we can understand, if not fully comprehend, the mystery.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday 2014 Lumen Fidei On this first day after the solemn beginning of Lent, as we begin our forty-day retreat, the Church gives us some stark words. Deuteronomy tells us that the choice is between life and death, between blessing and curse. Honor and obey God alone, and ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:22-25

Denomination: Catholic

Joy And Hope: A Personal Encounter With Christ In The Church Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Nov 22, 2012

The Constitution on the Church in the Modern World gives us a kind of charter for the substance of the New Evangelization.

Monday of 34th Week in Course 2012 Documents of Vatican II: Gaudium et Spes The redeemed pictured in John’s Revelation stand in the Father’s house on Mount Zion, that is the heavenly mountain, and they are with the Lamb, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. What are they doing for all ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 14:1-5

Denomination: Catholic

The Word Does Not Accommodate To The Culture Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 23, 2012

There is a close relationship between the testimony of Scripture and the witness given by the lives of believers.

Monday of 12th Week in Course June 25, 2012 Verbum Domini Exactly why were the people of God thrown out of the land of God? Exactly why were the chosen people, the Jews, supplanted in the plan of salvation by the Catholic Church? And why, we should all ask, are we now being hammered by secular ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 17:5-18

Denomination: Catholic

A Symbol Of Hope Series

Contributed by The Rev Deniray Mueller on Jan 30, 2018

the hope of the resurrection

You will notice that there are Easter eggs on your table. We want to thank Dave, and Kourtnie and Terry for coloring them for us. But why are the colored eggs on the tables for our festive Easter celebration? And why for Easter? Our world is full of symbols. • The flag is representative ...read more

Denomination: Episcopal

Conceiving Iniquity And Bringing Forth Wind Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jul 12, 2014

We learn from bitter experience how wrong it is to ignore God's will and do things our own way. If this leads to pain, even the pain can be a way to focus us on the right way.

Thursday of 15th Week in Course Lumen Fidei Let’s be frank about today’s reading from Isaiah, because he is speaking about a Hebrew people who did not do God’s will. They chased after what he calls “other lords”–the Baals and Astartes. They engaged in all ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 26:7-19

Denomination: Catholic

The Logos Is The Solid Rock Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jun 25, 2020

Jesus challenged His disciples–and that means not just the original ones but us today–to build His Church on solid rock

Thursday of the 12th Week in Course 2020 Logos is Solid Rock Rock or sand? Where do you build your house? On a solid foundation or on shifting sand? The listeners who heard Jesus’s words here probably had or knew someone who had built on a poor subsurface. After all, the region of Palestine is in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:21-29, 2 Kings 24:8-17, Psalm 79:9, Luke 1:32-33

Denomination: Catholic