1 Samuel 3: God calls Samuel. Samuel doesn't understand at first and needs Eli to help him understand that the calling voice is God's. Often we need another person to help us discern God.

Then the story has an ironic twist in that the message from God is against Eli, the very person who helped Samuel understand the call in the first place. One of the lessons is that we are to help each other hear and understand God, even if doing so could mean judgment from God against us.

Psalm 139: God has searched us out and known us. Parishioners tend to tremble before this psalm, because they see God as wrathful. However, God knowing us is a blessing, something to rejoice over, not something to fear.

1 Corinthians 6: Our bodies are sacred! (Take that, body/soul dualism.) This passage calls us to honor our bodies.

John 1:43-51: This passage works well with Martin Luther King Day, because Nathanael is being prejudiced. He has an elitist attitude toward Nazareth. Jesus corrects that prejudice, and he corrects ours, too.

MLK: Many of us do lip-service to equality but then commit racism and other forms of discrimination when no one is looking. How do we challenge Christians to be genuine about egalitarianism?

(from www.goodpreacher.com/blog/)