On this 4th of July weekend, we give thanks to God for the blessing of freedom – and for all who sacrificed so much throughout history to inspire US to fulfill the dream of liberty & justice for everyone, regardless of human-created barriers, labels, divisions.
For the 6th Sunday after Pentecost, we hear the sad story of how Jesus is rejected by his hometown, who cannot fathom God would be bringing hope to the world through their carpenter’s son with ordinary sisters & brothers & parents. Jesus sends out his followers 2×2 to surrounding villages to bring healing & hope to hurting lives – as the powerful hope of God’s Kingdom becomes reality not thru extraordinary super-humans, but through fishermen, a former tax collector, and doubting, imperfect ordinary people! WE ordinary human beings, with all our own weaknesses and imperfections, gather on Sunday to be filled with hope and fed at the table of God’s grace – so that we too can be God’s living beacons of hope of others. As the apostle Paul struggles with his weakness in 2 Corinthian 12, he receives the Lord’s amazing words, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is make perfect in weakness!” Come celebrate the all-sufficient grace of God this Sunday – and invite someone to join you!
