Jesus tells three parables back to back in chapters 21 & 22 of the Gospel of Matthew. these are often referred to as judgment parables. Many take these parables to be stories about Jesus' relationship with the religious leaders but in the case of this parable, maybe we should explore the language of the wedding robe. We want to come to the table of grace but we want to do it on our own terms.

This week Ellen will explore the parables of the treasure and the pearl from Matthew 13. What do you think about when we talk of hidden treasures or valuable pearls?

It is curious to me how generous we are with the people who entertain us and how stingy we are with the people that serve us. There are ball players who may only work for fifteen minutes of a three hour game and yet they make the same or more money than the guys who are on the field the entire game. And yet, in this parable, when you talk about basic wage earners, we are upset at all the workers earning at day's wages no matter how long they worked. What does that say about God? What does it say about us?

This is the 8th and last sermon from our series on Forgiveness and the first sermon on our series of Parables in Matthew. It starts with a question, "How many times do I have to forgive?" It ends with always. Forgiveness is something that teaches us how to love our neighbor and how to love ourself.

Fig trees are intended to bear fruit. It is why you planted the fig tree and cared for it. But what if it never bears fruit? Every church should ask themselves this questions as well. This week Ellen talks about the barren fig tree.

There are times when we raged against injustice or other horrific events that occur but we cannot allow that rage to turn us into those we rage against. We cannot dehumanize those who dehumanize others.

This is our third Sunday talking about parables. This Sunday we will be talking about demons using Matthew 12:38-50

Something happens that strikes a nerve. It may be the Attack at Pearl Harbor, the events of September 11th, a school shooting, or another violent act. We choose sides and we begin the dehumanization process. It leads to acts against entire groups of people and it is encouraged by those we listen to on social media, our phones, and our televisions. It is called dehumanization and forgiveness cannot begin as long as we dehumanize others.

Ellen will explore Chapter two in Twelve Parables of Jesus where Maxie Dunham discusses two parables from Luke on persistence.

Family is where many of us first experience harm. We have divorce, betrayal, sibling rivalry, and sometimes, abuse. No family is perfect because humans are not perfect. Modern Christianity often talks about family values but that is not what we witness in Scripture. From the first family there were problems. We will take a look at marriage and family relationship through the lens of Jacob and his twelve sons.