November can feel like a very “American” month. Election Day (7—not as big a deal as last year) is followed by Veterans Day (11), Thanksgiving (23), and Native American Heritage Day (24). Christian businessmen started National Bible Week (19-24) just before Pearl Harbor in 1941.

Much of scripture for "Leadership Sunday" indicts religious leaders for their sins. For leaders, the readings can serve as a kind of examination of conscience. Another approach, however, is to ask yourself not only where you have erred, but also where you do well.

The moon is a far cry from the sun in more ways than one. It is not a fiery orb that emits heat and light but a cold satellite that simply reflects the light it receives from elsewhere. That’s on one side, anyway. The other side is in shadow.

Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.

We should honor all those who give their lives to God's service, not just the “rabbis” or “masters.” But how we do that may change over time. On or near my mother’s birthday, I always visited the family plot at Mt. Carmel Cemetery by myself with a yellow rose, her favorite, to place on her grave.

As we stand before the table of God's love, we turn to God's loving care for mercy and forgiveness.

God favors the humble. Scripture tells us that he resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. In fact he gives them everything . . . . He cannot refuse it. He gives himself entirely to humility.