When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
Matthew 9:11-12
All month we’ve been asking, “What Can I Do?” in our relationship with God. This week’s answer is a great one.
in the Kid’s Church curriculum, the question is two-fold. It relates both to what you can do in a career sense, i.e. what might I do when I grow up. On the other hand, it also asks the kids how we follow God. One of the things we can do is to include different folks in our journey through life, and be welcoming to them.
That certainly is what we strive for at Pilgrim Church, with our vision statement of “Growing Faith. Strengthening Families. Loving all.”
When you have the opportunity to be welcoming rather than judgmental, do you take it?
This week’s scripture is Matthew 9:9-13. You can read it here. Jesus is ruffling feathers again! The pharisees saw Jesus eating with people who they assumed did not share their values or live the way they thought they should live.
We tend to sort ourselves by what we are. I don’t blame the Pharisees for recognizing the differences between themselves and others. But Jesus learned what they could not: proximity to people who don’t look or sound like me can enlarge my world view and my understanding of life. If we were all meant to be the same, we would have been. The diversity of God’s creation is a clear call to embrace differences and to enjoy them!
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