Joshua 5:9a, 10-12 The gift of manna ends when the new prize of self-sufficiency begins.
Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 Those who seek the Lord will find in God deliverance from their fears.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 The ministry of reconciliation began when God reconciled the world in Christ.
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 A father and his two sons illustrate the great story of God's compassion for sinners.

Some of the stories we are watching this week . . .
Please note: The final version of Preaching in Light of the News is posted each week on Thursday morning
Body scanners are scandalous to some believers
This Sunday’s psalm suggests we look to the Lord so “that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame.” Followers of Islamic law and Orthodox Jews are among those in the traveling public who not only blush at the thought of having to pass through full-body scanners at the airport but believe the machines violate their religious norms.
Gender discrimation has deadly consequences in Asia
In this Sunday’s gospel we hear the story of a father who loved both his sons, even the prodigal one who "was lost and has been found.” Daughters don’t fare nearly as well in Asia, according to a United Nations report released Monday, International Woman’s Day. Female infanticide, sex-selective abortion, and discrimination in health care are common practices, researchers found, especially in China and India.
