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 too receive the healing that makes us whole and are sent forth to be signs of God’s mercy for the world.
Join us this Sunday as Deacon Bri preaches about the healing we all receive through Christ, and (at the 11:00 service) we send our children and youth attending Camp Chrysalis and Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp in the coming weeks. As a former camper at both of these amazing places, I am excited to have 35 children & youth attending Camp Chrysalis beginning June 11th and 24 youth attending Rainbow Trails beginning June 25th! We invite you to pray for them and their mentors that God inspires them to learn and grow in Christ in the beauty of creation.
image: The Raising of the Daughter of Jairus (1873) by Eduard Julius Friedrich Bendemann via the Open Access Policy through the Metropolitan Museum of Art/Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2007.