04/04/2019
In this current sermon series, I have shared the stories of two “undesirables”--the woman with an issue of bleeding and the prostitute who “wasted” an entire jar of perfume by pouring it on Jesus. As we read through Scripture, there are so many “undesirables”--the ten with leprosy, the tax collectors, the woman at the well, the Samaritan…
What does Jesus do consistently in all of these situations?
1. He did not reject or avoid them...he walked through Samaria and not around Samaria; he accepted an invitation from Zacchaeus to his home to dine…
2. He was fully aware of their sinfulness...”He told me everything I have ever done.”
3. He did not change his knowledge of what was righteous to accommodate others.
“Go and sin no more.”
4. Even though he was confronting the sinner about their sin, they did not feel
rejected by Jesus. Instead they felt very loved and accepted.
As the calendar tells us that we are moving closer to the events of Holy Week when Jesus would enter Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, we will experience the final week of the earthly life of Jesus. It is a painful week as we share Holy Thursday and Good Friday focusing on Jesus whose body was broken entirely for us. His brokenness again speaks to us of His love for us.
The brokenness that Jesus experienced as He gave his body and His blood was for us to know the kind of relationship and forgiveness we may have with Jesus. We are called to share this kind of love with others. Remember, Jesus rejected none no matter who they were or what they did. Jesus was always bold about teaching the truth with a heart of love for the person. And when persons encountered Jesus, they knew they were loved.
No one is undesirable in the eyes of Jesus. All are loved.
P.S. Never forget the Good News that followed the journey of Holy Week. We get to celebrate Easter as Jesus is resurrected from the dead and lives forever!
Pastor Patti
Archived Posts
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One More Thing About Becoming Wholly Human
I was talking Sunday about the work of Hare and Woods and their idea of ‘the survival of the friendliest.’ Essentially, they conclude that “our greatest evolutionary advantage wasn't that we could do everything ourselves. It was that we could do things together.”
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In the coming weeks we will be exploring the importance of presence, prayers, gifts, service, witness, and growth in grace. These are at the heart of what we commit to when we join a Wesleyan grace-led church like ours. But we choose to broaden them out and state them in a new way…
The Biblical prayer we don’t know what to do with
Psalm 137 is written by people who have experienced catastrophic loss.
They have been conquered...
Patience and Trust
Sunday, in my benediction (which traditional folks did not hear) I talked about the Marshmallow Test. The original results of that test with children was that those who could delay gratification did better in life than those who could not.
Gandhi and the Sugar
I wasn’t preaching Sunday, Reverend Jackie Chandler was. And she talked about the power of influence you get when you practice what you preach. This famous illustration came to mind. It fits Jackie’s points quite well. Enjoy!
Not Just for Parents
Our current sermon series is about How To Talk Parent, but it doesn’t require any of us to be parents to appreciate the bits of wisdom OUR parents shared with us growing up.