Introduction –
As we enter this new week after Pentecost, we are invited to draw near to the God who draws near to us. The scriptures set before us speak of a love that does not wait for us to be perfect, but meets us in our need. Hosea gives voice to a God who longs for our return and offers healing instead of judgment. Paul reminds us that God’s promise grows from trust — a grace that reaches us before we have anything to offer in return. And in the Gospel, we see that grace walking among us. Jesus moves toward those others pushed aside: calling Matthew from a life marked by judgment, welcoming a woman who had been excluded, and lifting a child from death back into life. His presence gathers in the overlooked and restores their dignity. As we step into this week and gather for worship, may we come with open hearts, ready to be met by the One whose mercy is wide enough for every story and whose love keeps drawing us home.
Introduction to readings –
Though Jesus was a devout Jew who practiced his faith, he was criticized for eating with tax collectors and sinners—the religiously nonobservant. Jesus criticizes the self-righteous and reminds us that mercy is to be at the heart of our religious practices. God continues to be made known in those on the margins of society, like Matthew the tax collector and the hemorrhaging woman. As we gather each Lord’s day we receive the healing that makes us well and sends us forth to be signs of God’s mercy for the world.
0 Comments