Imagine you had a mirror that reflected not just your image but every part of you: all that you’ve done, every flaw, your character, your accomplishments and your failures. How would shape your interactions and your faith? In our Focus Text this week the criminals crucified with Jesus react in two different ways. One joins the crowd in mocking Jesus as a way of distracting from his own condemnation. The other recognizes his faults and justly deserved  death sentence, while also seeing that Jesus was wrongfully convicted and his willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of everyone, even those who are mocking him. The criminal boldly asks Jesus not to save him from his deserved punishment but to simply remember him in the Kingdom beyond death. As we near the end of Lent and prepare for Holy Week and Easter Pastor Stephanie encourages us to look into the mirror and see that we don’t deserve God’s forgiveness but also see God’s love reflected in the undeserved gift of grace.

Our stories have taught us what a ‘bad guy’ is. Usually it is someone who is on the outside, someone who is different, someone who doesn’t look or act like us. We teach our community about the ‘bad guy’ in hopes of protecting us from threats. In this week’s Focus Text the Scribes and Pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery to Jesus in hopes that he will agree that she is a ‘bad guy’ that deserves to be thrown out like something broken. Jesus instead asks the leaders to look in the mirror and realize that the reflection is also a ‘bad guy’ just as deserving of punishment but also receiving God’s love, grace, and mercy.

Why should we pray for forgive who have wronged us? Why should we listen to those who hurt us? Because Jesus calls us to treat others the way we want to be treated. We should forgive because we want to be forgiven. We should listen because we want to be listened to. On the Cross Jesus sets the example praying that those who crucified him would be forgiven "for they know not what they do" and that prayer applies to us when we so often do not know what we are doing when our words and actions hurt others.

To truly experience a song we must do more than just read the notes and understand the music theory behind the composition we must be in tune with the music to discover the motivation of the song. The motivation of God’s song that has played in our lives and in the lives of people since the beginning is for all of creation to be reconciled with one another and with God.

Words are powerful and unlike the nursery rhyme words can and do hurt us. When words are spoken with bitterness not considering the impact it will have on our neighbor we are not loving our neighbors as ourselves. When we take the time to understand our neighbor and can speak with grace we are following the example Jesus set for us. This is what the Apostle Paul means when he says “let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors. . . so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” Sometimes the truth requires a difficult conversation but if we ground that conversation in grace we can help build up what helps us all Flourish as God intends.

In our Focus Text for this week Jesus encourages us to look to the fruit being produced by those around us. Pastor Chad invites us to think about this in terms of trust. If someone tells us about how fresh the fruit they’re selling is and we bite into a rotten apple our trust is broken. So we are to follow Jesus advice and bear good fruit in our words and actions like the Kingdom of God produces.

Building with sand can be a fun beach day activity but your efforts won’t last as the rain falls or the waves crash or a mischievous child plots your castle will inevitably crumble. Jesus uses building a home as a parable for building a life of faith. The storms, the waves, and the mischievous of our life won’t crumble us if we are securely founded on the stability of God’s promises.

Why would Jesus send the disciples out into the world unprepared? In our time of hyper-preparedness this seems like a bad idea. What if they are caught in a downpour, they’d have no change of clothes?! Why knock on a strangers door and ask for food and lodging when there’s an Inn just down the street?! Pastor Chad invites us to consider how being reliant on the kindness of others better helps us understand the vision of God’s Kingdom. It is an experience of grace that leads us to become more grace-filled with others which helps us more fully realize the vision of God’s Kingdom in our community.

Sometimes communication gets so familiar that we either dismiss the words entirely or accept the idea so completely the words become out of touch with reality. Our focus text  this week features “The Antitheses” where Jesus sets up common sayings of the time against their opposite as a way of explaining the Kingdom of God. The antithesis of each saying reveals the deep love, deep peace, and deep connection with God & God’s creation, that comes from faith.

We have gotten really good a blocking out the things we don't want to hear. In the focus text for this week, Stephen is killed for speaking up against the powerful who were not caring for the poor & powerless as God intends. Jesus warned the disciples that speaking God’s truth to those in power would threaten their earthly life. When we have the courage to speak the truth, even when the other person would rather ignore it, we are bringing light & hope of God into our world.