The pulpit should never become a place for politics.  But given the fact that we are nearing a national election in our country and one cannot use any type of media right now without seeing some candidate’s ad, please permit a simple observation.  Long ago I was taught that elected officials are called “public servants.”  Servants.  Those who aspire to high office should want to be servants who serve the citizens.  Here’s the observation.  As I see and hear political ads, I don’t often see what I might call aspirations for service.

Have you ever stopped to think about what it must have been like to spend time around Jesus?  We have all known that person who seemed like they were perfect.  That kid in high school.  Straight A’s.  Star on all the teams.  Great hair.  Great personality. 

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he taught them to say, Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:11). It is a very simple, no-nonsense petition. In it we simply ask our dear Father to give us enough bread for this day.

I have sometimes wondered if when the disciples heard this, they remembered the stories they would have surely heard about the “daily bread” the Lord had given to their ancestors in the desert under Moses.

About 60 miles off the coast of Greece in the Mediterranean Sea is a beautiful island called Crete. Today tourists flock to Crete for its stunning beaches. Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul made a stop on Crete. He wasn’t there for the beaches. He was there with a young co-worker named Titus. They were there to spread the good news about Jesus. They were engaged in Gospel ministry.

You have all likely heard of “euphemisms.” Euphemisms are nice, polite ways to say things that might sound harsh or unpleasant. For example, companies speak of “downsizing” rather than firing people. A person is said to be “vertically challenged” instead of “short.” Something strange is said to be “interesting.” And one I heard recently: “death” was called “successfully completing retirement.”