A friend texted me and let me know it was communion. Usually that's enough encouragement for me to find something else to do, but I was already on my way. Soooooo...
The Pastor spoke about Matthew and the Kingdom of God. He talked about the last supper and the fact that Jesus invited Judas and Peter - even though he already knew they were going to blow it - big time. He also told the story of when Mary used expensive perfume to wash the feet of Jesus. He made the point that when the men started talking about what a poor choice it was to spend money on "wasted" perfume, Jesus says, "Why are you guys bugging her? Calm down."* And then, when the men self-righteously point out that the money could have gone to help the poor, Jesus says, "The poor are still there. You're free to go help them whenever you'd like..."*
BOOM! Total Jesus smack down! His overall point was that the kingdom of God is an inclusive place. Everyone is welcome.
I left church pretty pumped. Maybe even "stoked." It was the same kind of feeling I had when I finished Shane Claiborne's book. It also made me wonder why churches don't preach on how inclusive and service oriented the kingdom of God is more often.
 |
| Jesus being inclusive |
*New Living David Translation - for ages 18 and up.
