Matthew 22: 15-22 Jesus tells the Pharisees to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to give to God what belongs to God! Paul tells the Thessalonians to exhort in Presence, Power, Passion by giving our best to God— then we find happiness in the way of God’s holiness in our lives!!

Matthew 22:1-14; Philippians 4: 1-9 Jesus tells the parable of the Kings Invitation to the Banquet— Paul tells us how to live rejoicing!— receive Christ’s invitation.

Matthew 21:33-46 tells the story of the “ wicked tenants” and how they showed greed and worked some evil to try and get what they wanted. Jesus was trying to show that we are to be good stewards of all that God has given and do God’s good works on earth!

Matthew 21: 28-32 is known as “ The Parable of the Two Sons.” Jesus taught us to be faithful and honest! We look to the scriptures for guidance in fulfilling life’s demands. * Special thanks to President Jimmy Carter for “Sources of Strength.”

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the “Laborers in the Vineyard.” Jesus gives the controversial and shocking notion that those who are late in being hired receive the same wages as those who came early. Essentially, Jesus is telling us it is never too late to come to God! I think it’s better to make it to the last dance than not to have danced at all! God is truly gracious!

Jesus tells the parable of forgiveness and reconciliation. The message is clear if we expect to be forgiven, we must forgive! ( Special thanks to President Jimmy Carter for his “ Sources of Strength” devotional stories).

In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us to forgive ( as is a common theme). What should we do in a church situation, family situation, societal situations, etc. We should strive to reconcile when possible!

The Apostle Paul tells us how we should treat each other in all situations. Jesus taught us the same. Special thanks to President Jimmy Carter for passages from his book, “ Sources of Strength!” Let’s out do each other in doing good works and treating people as we would like to be treated!

Jesus asks his Disciples who do people say that I am? They give the usual responses of being John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or some other prophet. Simon the son of Jonah declares that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God! Jesus calls Simon, Peter ( which means rock), and proceeds to tell him that upon this rock, “ I will build my church!” Traditionally Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Christian Church; however, some commentators say this moment was actually when Jesus declared the birth of His Church. We will take a look at what is this new “ Community of Faith and Love” Jesus proclaimed and its relevance to the entire world.