seeking the lost

Good morning friends,
I hope the day is off to a good start. Today's story is a funny story about a short man who wanted to see Jesus but had to climb a tree to do it. At a deeper level it is about how things like wealth or career can get in the way of our relationship with God, but how God always tries to calls us back. As Jesus puts it, his ministry on earth was to seek and save the lost. That ministry of seeking out those who are separated is still the church's mission today. How can we do a better job opening ourselves to those who feel separated from God and from the church? If you feel separated, what can the church or I do to make you feel welcome?

God bless,
Sam

Luke 19:1-10

He entered Jericho and was passing through it. ²A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. ⁵When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 

⁷All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” ⁸Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” ⁹Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

specks and logs

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Jesus again reminds us that being forgiven by God calls us to forgive others. Judging is only God's job, our job is to direct any criticism at ourselves first and then, very carefully and only when necessary, dare to help others see their faults. It's often much easier to see what others are doing "wrong," but when we do that we're probably missing something at least as major wrong with our own life that keeps us from seeing our neighbor clearly.

God bless,
Sam

Matthew 7:1-5

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. ²For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. ³Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? ⁴Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? ⁵You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

woe and wisdom

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Jesus criticizes the religious leaders as the head of "this generation" for expecting things to follow their rules. He calls them children and points out how they rejected John for staying away from food and drink but then reject Jesus for not staying away from food and drink. In the end those who listen will find God's way and those who turn away, even if their family line is perfect, will regret that decision. God always welcomes us home, but he also calls us not to judge and reject others.

Weekend blessings,
Sam


Matthew 11:16-24

16“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, 17‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 19the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”



20Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.”

judging others

Good morning brothers and sisters,
After getting into the chaos that comes into our lives when we focus on things instead of God, Paul turns his attention to self-righteousness. He suspects that some of his readers will be proud of themselves since they don't fit the pattern he described in the last chapter. He warns these readers that God's wrath is especially powerful against those who judge others while also living in sin. It may be human nature to feel good about ourselves when we think about what other people do wrong. Instead, thinking about any kind of sin should remind us of our own shortcomings and lead us to repentance. God's mercy is amazing, so the invitation to repent and change our ways is always open.

Blessings,
Sam

Romans 2:1-8

Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. 2You say, “We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth.” 3Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? 4Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6For he will repay according to each one’s deeds: 7to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.