Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

GOSPEL: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 In Matthew's gospel, both Jesus and his disciples "sow the seed" of God's word by proclaiming the good news that "the kingdom of heaven is near." Now, in a memorable parable, Jesus explains why this good news produces different results in those who hear.

Pastor: The holy gospel according to Matthew.

All: Glory to you, O Lord.

1.That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. 7. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9. If you have ears, hear!" 18. "Hear, then, the parable of the sower. 19. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21. yet such a person has no root but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Pastor: The gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you, O Christ.

The assembly may be seated.

Scenes from the Parable of the Sower by Peter Vasilenko Edited by Pastor Megan Floyd

Jesus: Owen Thompson First Seed: Louisa Fawcett Second Seed: Oliver Thompson Third Seed: Louisa Fawcett Fourth Seeds: Edison Robinson, Andrew Herek & Tabitha Richardson Additional Fourth Seeds: Rosie Brown, Penny Fawcett & Charlie Herek Audience: Megan Floyd

Today, we had a special musical performance of Holy God, We Praise Your Name, a handbell quartet with Deb Borton-McDonough, Elaine Harrison, Megan Nyquist, & Addie Thompson at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Pentecost 6; Lectionary 14 – July 5, 2026

Pastor Megan Floyd

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, from the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer, and from Jesus Christ, who invites all who are weary to come to him, and he will give you rest.

***

"Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"

That is the question hanging over our Gospel today.

John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus with that question because uncertainty has crept in. John had announced a Messiah who would bring justice with fire and power.

He had imagined the great turning point of history arriving with unmistakable force. And now John sits in prison while Jesus spends his days eating with, connecting with, and healing the kind of people everyone else avoids… and offering mercy in ordinary places.

Are you really the one?

I think John and others expected something bigger… and perhaps… sometimes… we do, as well.

We live in a world obsessed with the big and the dramatic. We look for the movement that changes everything overnight. We want the speech that fixes society or the election that solves all our problems.

Even around this holiday weekend, with freedom in the air and national stories all around us, we are reminded how much we love grand narratives. We love decisive moments. We love fireworks.

And yet Jesus answers John's question in a very different way.

Theologian and Luther Seminary professor, Dr. Matt Skinner, writes that Jesus answers by showing how he is changing the world… "not in an immediate broadscale manner, but through one act of mercy at a time."

One act of mercy at a time.

The blind see. The lame walk… The sick are healed… The poor receive good news… Not one giant spectacle, or one dramatic takeover.

Just… mercy.

Mercy upon mercy upon mercy.

And that seems almost too small, doesn't it?

Jesus himself sounds frustrated in today's text because people keep missing what God is doing. John comes fasting and preaching judgment, and people reject him. …Jesus comes eating and celebrating and extending welcome, and people reject him too.

Nothing satisfies them… Because they are looking for the wrong things.

They are waiting for a Messiah who conquers through power and force… while God is sending liberation through compassion… and relationship.

They are looking for grandness… while God keeps showing up in small acts of mercy.

And perhaps that is still our temptation.

We tend to believe that justice comes only through massive effort and enormous change… We can think that if we are not changing everything, then we are changing nothing.

Except… God's work has always begun among those the world overlooks. God acts among the poor, the excluded, the burdened, the people whose lives society tries to render invisible.

And God often shows up exactly where dominant voices would have us believe that nothing important is happening there… God shows up in bodies and in stories and in communities that others dismiss. God keeps revealing holy truth from the margins.

Because God has this habit of beginning with what appears small.

A manger… A handful of disciples… Bread and wine… Water poured over a child's head… A cross that looked like defeat.

Small things that become life for the world.

I was reminded of this a few days ago while talking with Rich.

He shared a story from when he was in high school. One of his classmates became pregnant. And as you might imagine, people talked. There was gossip and judgment, and unfair assumptions.

But Rich looked at the situation differently.

He thought, regardless of everything else, a baby is coming, and a baby deserves a gift.

So… he crocheted her a pair of baby booties.

That was it… No grand speech… No dramatic intervention.

Just a pair of baby booties.

He said that, decades later… she told him that she had never forgotten that small act of kindness… Never forgotten it.

And… I have been thinking about that story all week. Because that is exactly how Jesus seems to work.

One small act of mercy… One person seeing another person's humanity.

One interruption in the cycle of shame… One reminder that love still exists, and that a person is still deserving of dignity, even when everyone else says they do not.

One pair of baby booties.

We often underestimate what mercy does.

Mercy changes the person receiving it, yes… but… mercy also changes the person giving it because mercy begins reshaping our hearts.

Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me."

Now, a yoke is not exactly an inspiring image. It sounds heavy and restrictive.

And it is true… that the way of Christ is not always easy because carrying this yoke guides us to keep choosing mercy in a world that often rewards cruelty.

Carrying the yoke of Christ guides us to stand beside burdened people and help them bear the weight.

Carrying the yoke of Christ guides us to love people others have decided are unlovable… and… to keep showing up for our neighbors, especially those who have been excluded.

That can be hard… Sometimes it is easier to stay distant… and keep our heads down.

Sometimes it is easier to let systems keep grinding people down because confronting those systems will cost us something.

The yoke of Christ is not freedom from responsibility.

But strangely, Jesus says that this yoke is easy and this burden is light.

And you may wonder, how can that be? …it is because the yoke of Christ is carried together.

You see, a yoke is designed for two…

Jesus is not handing us a burden and sending us off alone… Jesus is carrying it with us. He says, "Learn from me" …walk beside me… stay near me… watch where I go.

And where does Jesus go? …He goes toward burdened people… toward weary people… hurting people… toward those who have been pushed aside.

And this is where freedom becomes important… not the freedom that we celebrated as a country this weekend, but our freedom in Christ… because our freedom in Christ is not the freedom to separate ourselves from one another.

Christian freedom has never meant, "I can do whatever I want."

Christian freedom means being set free for love… set free for relationship… set free for one another.

Liberation through Christ… is always communal.

Because if my neighbor is still carrying crushing burdens, if they remain chained by poverty or prejudice or fear or loneliness, then Christ will keep calling me toward them.

Our freedom in Christ frees us to help the one still in chains.

And that is where the joy is… not in standing apart, but in joining Christ where Christ already is.

Because Jesus says: Come to me…

Come to me weary… come to me burdened… come to me while you are still uncertain and carrying... everything.

And Christ will receive you with mercy, and give you rest.

Jesus says, "Come to me," and he places his yoke upon us—not the crushing yoke of shame or fear or impossible expectations—but the yoke of shared love.

And then Christ teaches us to walk.

One small act of mercy at a time.

One kind word… One meal shared… One hand extended…

One pair of baby booties.

And slowly, mysteriously, the kingdom of God keeps breaking in.

Not with fireworks… but with love.

Not with domination… but with mercy.

Not through power over people… but through liberation with people.

And one day we look back and realize that Christ was the one who was foretold all along… the one who was to come.

Because wherever burdens are lifted, wherever dignity is restored, wherever mercy reaches someone who thought they had been forgotten, Christ is there.

Still changing the world… one small act of mercy at a time.

Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of This is My Father's World, a solo by Janie Durga at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Pentecost 4; Lectionary 12 – June 21, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Matthew 10:24-39

Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, from the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer, and from Jesus Christ, to whom we belong. Amen.

Year A – Pentecost 4; Lectionary 12 – June 21, 2026

Pastor Megan Floyd

Matthew 10:24-39

Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, from the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer, and from Jesus Christ, to whom we belong. Amen.

***

Happy Father's Day! …this is not the text I would have chosen for this day, but that is the beauty and challenge of following the lectionary. …we don't get to shy away from the hard texts. …and we trust that even the hard truths carry good news.

So here we are… following Jesus will cause division, even among families. It is uncomfortable… but I think we all know that it is true… and perhaps, I am sure… some of us have experienced this in our own lives.

Discipleship will cost us all something, but it never costs us God's love. That is also true.

Our text today is the very next lines from the same missionary discourse we began reading last week. Jesus is sending his disciples out to share the good news that the kingdom of heaven has come near… sending them out with compassion to bring peace and healing.

And yet, Jesus is honest… he is sending them out like sheep among wolves. Not all will accept this invitation of love and light. This mission is not without tension. It wasn't then… and it isn't now.

Jesus states it plainly… following him will create conflict in our lives. Even if you are blessed with a family that all follows the way of Christ together, you are still at odds with much of our culture today.

Following the way of Christ means to honor and cherish the inherent value and worth of every living thing… while our culture teaches that greed and personal wants and needs supersede the needs of others, and that some people are disposable… unwanted… and unwelcome.

Following the way of Christ and bringing close the kingdom of heaven means we are to be especially compassionate for those who are pushed down and exploited by our systems, while also working to break those systems…

and yet… our culture celebrates systems of exploitation where one person can become a trillionaire while millions are starving.

Remember what God said in Isaiah 58:6-7… "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them and not to hide yourself from your own kin?"

…your own kin.

This is the way of Christ… to recognize that the other person, no matter how different… is your own kin.

This is the way that puts us at odds with our culture because it disrupts systems of power… …it can put us at odds with our families because it places God and love for others as our priority…

Jesus isn't glorifying division or the power of the sword… he is saying that sometimes faithfulness has consequences.

This is the way of Christ… it is contrary to the powers of empire… contrary to the powers of domination… this is the way of living that landed Jesus on that cross.

I think it's pretty rational to look at Jesus on the cross and say… nope… no thank you. I understand… when some turn away in despair… and say it is too hard… it costs… too much.

Going against the grain is not easy… it is not irrational to be afraid of the consequences, but Jesus names that fear out loud… and up front…

Fear becomes powerful when it stays hidden, but Jesus names the cost of following him so that fear can lose some of its grip… so that the disciples can go… and share the good news that the kingdom of heaven has come near in the person of Jesus.

But… it is Father's Day… and this message does not wrap us in cozy familial images… so I want to say this clearly… Jesus is not attacking family.

He is, however, reordering our lives… and our priorities. No family, however loving, can ultimately bear the weight of being our deepest source of identity.

Our children do not complete us… our salvation does not come from our parents… and no earthly relationship can tell us what only God can tell us… who we are… and whose we are.

Jesus has just laid out the hard truth, but in his compassion, he reminds them… he reminds us… that God has his eye on the sparrow, and yet, we are more valuable to God than many sparrows.

In the ancient world, sparrows were nearly worthless in the marketplace. They were the cheapest meat the poor could buy.

And yet, Jesus says that not one of them escapes God's attention.

So do not be afraid… you are a child of God, and loved beyond measure.

After September 11, attorney Kenneth Feinberg led the fund that compensated victims' families. Formulas were used – income, age, earning potential. Some lives were assigned values many times larger than others."

Later, he reflected that his legal training collided with something growing in him… the conviction that all lives carry equal worth.

But our world still measures people that way… measures productivity and achievement… income and status… usefulness to others.

Even on a day like today, we measure ourselves as parents… children… providers…

Am I successful enough? …Did I do enough? …and I enough?

But Jesus has an entirely different system of measurement.

Simply put… we have value because we are creatures… just like sparrows… we belong to God.

We matter because God made us… and loves us… and because we bear God's image.

Our value is not earned… it can never be earned… it simply… is. We are valuable and beloved to God.

And because we have God's attention, we will never be abandoned… for even the hairs of your head are all counted.

Notice… however… that despite God's attention, Jesus doesn't promise safety… he doesn't claim that discipleship will never come with pain. He is up front about the cost.

He says, "Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." (Matt. 10:39)

What Jesus promises… is holy attention… divine presence in our lives… he promises that, in a world where no one can ever possibly, fully know another person completely… that God does… God fully knows you better than you know yourself… right down to the number of hairs on your head.

And Jesus promises that there is nothing in our lives that falls outside of the circle of God's care… not our joys… not our grief… our failures or our fears.

Not even the small, sparrow-sized things… God cares about it all.

For God has spoken to us before we could speak ourselves… and claimed us as God's beloved children.

Before we could prove anything… earn anything… fail or succeed at anything… God said, "You are mine, and I love you."

So, when we know that our Creator holds us so closely in love, then we can venture out with courage into a difficult world.

We can remain faithful disciples, even when it costs us something… we can carry crosses.

We can lean into the way of Christ when the path would have us go another way… even if that causes strain on our relationships.

Because discipleship will, indeed, cost us all something, but it never costs us God's love… God's love is assured.

Sparrows and disciples alike – we know God watches us, and in God's sight, there are no unimportant lives.

Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Down To The River at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Pentecost 3; Lectionary 11 – June 14, 2026

Pastor Megan Floyd

Matthew 9:35 - - 10:23

Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, from the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer, and from Jesus Christ, who sends us out with compassion to welcome and serve. Amen.

***

Last weekend was one of those weekends that reminds me why I love the church.

On Saturday, many of us gathered with our neighbors to first worship, and then celebrate at the Pride Festival. We shared smiles, conversations, and reminders that God's love is for all people.

Then, on Sunday, we worshiped together here in celebration of Pride Month, giving thanks for the beautiful diversity of God's creation and for the truth that every person bears the image of God.

Then this past week, our congregation joined with three other churches for Vacation Bible School. Children filled the church with laughter… and a bit of chaos. Friendships were formed. Stories were shared. Meals were served. New faces became familiar faces.

On the surface, Pride celebrations and Vacation Bible School might seem like very different events. But as I reflected on today's Gospel from Matthew, I realized they share something important.

Both were acts of hospitality.Both were ways of saying, "There is a place for you here." …and both were opportunities to share the good news of God's love.

And that is exactly what Jesus is talking about in today's Gospel.

Matthew tells us that Jesus went throughout the cities and villages, teaching, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and sickness. Then comes one of the most moving descriptions in all of Scripture:

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."

Everything that follows… flows from that compassion.

Jesus does not look at the crowds and see problems to be solved. He does not see enemies to defeat. He does not see people to judge.

He sees people who are hurting. …People who are exhausted. …He sees people who have been pushed aside and wounded by systems of power and oppression.

And his heart breaks for them. Jesus was moved by his compassion… to act.

And you see, that is where the mission of the church begins. Not with strategy or plans for growth. Nope. The mission of the church… begins with compassion.

Except… this is often where we get things wrong.

We hear Jesus sending the disciples out… and we immediately think of evangelism as persuasion or recruitment.

We imagine that our job is to convince people to come to our church and be part of our community. And this isn't a bad thing… I think our community is absolutely wonderful and I definitely think people should come check us out!

But that is not what Jesus sends the disciples to do.

In the Roman world, people would have immediately recognized the language of "proclaiming good news."

When Rome conquered a territory, messengers would arrive announcing the "good news" that Caesar was now in charge.

And… they came backed by military force… carrying the power of empire. …They came with the expectation that everyone would submit.

Jesus… sends his followers out in exactly the opposite way.

They carry no weapons, and they bring no wealth. …They travel with almost nothing so they must depend on the hospitality of strangers.

They cannot force anyone to listen or compel anyone to receive them. They simply arrive… bearing peace… and offer healing.

They proclaim that the kingdom of heaven has come near… And then they leave the response up to others.

If people receive them, they stay, but if people reject them, they move on.

This is such a radically different vision of God's kingdom. …The kingdom of God advances not through coercion but through compassion.

Not through domination and force… but through love and hospitality.

And perhaps that is why Jesus' words about shaking the dust from their feet can sound so startling.

When a town refuses to receive the message, Jesus tells the disciples not to stay and argue. Not to keep fighting. Not to force the issue.

Just move on. The good news must be shared.

There are too many hurting people to spend all our energy trying to convince those who have already closed their hearts.

And then Jesus invokes Sodom and Gomorrah.

Now, those names carry a lot of baggage… but I think, especially so, during Pride Month.

Many people immediately assume that Sodom and Gomorrah represent God's judgment against LGBTQ+ people. …But Scripture itself tells a different story.

The prophet Ezekiel says in chapter 16:49, "This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, excess of food, and prosperous ease but did not aid the poor and needy."

The sin of Sodom was not love… It was violence… and exploitation. It was the refusal of hospitality. It was the failure to welcome and care for strangers.

It was the absence of compassion.

In other words, it was the very opposite of the kingdom Jesus proclaims.

Wherever people are dehumanized or rejected… wherever power is used to exclude rather than welcome… in those places… it is appropriate to invoke Sodom and Gomorrah.

But wherever compassion, hospitality, and love flourish… in those places… the kingdom of God is drawing near.

This week, as many of us celebrated the start of Pride Month, I saw glimpses of that kingdom. I saw people who felt safe and seen. …I saw people free to celebrate who God created them to be.

I saw joy… and love and community… I saw reminders that every human being bears the Imago Dei—the image of God.

And that matters.

Especially in a week when the Southern Baptist Convention voted to further restrict women's leadership in ministry.

Such actions stand in stark contrast to the expansive movement of God's Spirit throughout Scripture.

After all, look at the people Jesus called. …Fishermen… Tax collectors… Political zealots… men AND women.

Jesus called the powerful and the powerless… the respectable and the overlooked. Jesus gathered an astonishingly diverse community of disciples.

It matters… not because diversity just is a modern value… but because God's kingdom has always been larger than our categories… and the church is at its best when it reflects the wideness of God's embrace.

Because the good news is that God's grace is for ALL people, and that Christ's love is wider than our fears and our divisions.

The good news is that every person is created in God's image and invited into God's beloved community.

The good news is that wherever there is genuine love, God is already at work.

That is the Gospel… and that is why it matters.

Because there are still crowds all around us who are harassed and helpless.

People longing for belonging… carrying wounds and wondering if they matter… wondering if they are loved… People searching for peace.

And Jesus still sees them. …Jesus still has compassion… and Jesus still sends disciples to greet them… disciples of all colors, genders, and sexualities… Jesus still calls them… and sends them to greet the people that Jesus loves.

My hope and prayer is that we become the kind of church that reflects the heart of Christ so clearly that people encounter that compassion through us.

And honestly, I already see that here… I saw it at Pride… I saw it at Vacation Bible School… I saw it in the friendships that were formed… the meals shared… the laughter all around… and the welcome extended.

Every act of hospitality becomes a witness to the kingdom… Every gesture of welcome becomes an act of evangelism… Every reminder that someone is beloved becomes a proclamation of the Gospel.

Because evangelism is not primarily about getting people into church.

It is about helping people encounter the love of God.

And so… Jesus' invitation today is both simple and challenging. …Go… Go with compassion and humility… Go without needing to control the outcome.

Go willing to offer hospitality and… and also… Go willing to receive it.

Go… and be ready to recognize the image of God in every person you meet.

Go beyond the boundaries of your comfort… beyond the limits of your assumptions.

Go… trusting that the Holy Spirit is already at work ahead of you.

The harvest is still plentiful.

There are still people longing for good news.

There are still opportunities to embody Christ's love.

There are still communities waiting to experience the transforming power of hospitality.

And so let us say yes to this mission… yes to compassion.

Let us say yes to welcome… and yes to the delight God takes in the diversity of creation.

Let us say yes to sharing the good news that God's love is for all people.

For the kingdom of heaven has come near.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Lord, I Need You with a solo by Bob Nelson at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-16; Pride Sunday; Pentecost 2 (Lectionary 10); June 7, 2026 Additional texts: Hosea 5:15-6:6; Psalm 50:7-15; Romans 4:13-25 Rich Weingartner

Grace to you and peace from God our parent, Jesus our Savior, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Each year ReconcilingWorks, the organization that coordinates and provides resources for the RIC program, provides materials for both RIC Sunday and for a Pride Sunday service. The theme they picked this year for Pride Sunday is "Reframing our Resistance: Lament, Foundation, Joy, and Courage" On this theme they share: As faith communities in a society that is becoming less affirming and inclusive of anyone who is marginalized, for Pride in 2026 we step up as allies, collaborators, and co-conspirators in the proclamation of the Gospel of an inclusive love for all God's beloveds. Our resistance can make time and space for lamenting, for reclaiming our foundation, for sharing our joy, and building up our courage. We need all of those pieces in our lives and worship during this season of our church's life.

So, first, let's look at what we are resisting. When thinking of the word "resist" another word came to mind "renounce." Exploring how they are connected, we find that "renounce" means to reject and stop using or doing something, while "resist" means to try to prevent by action or argument, or to struggle or fight back when pressured or attacked. In short, "renounce" is more about declaring what is acceptable and unacceptable, while "resist" is the action you carry out to defend and fight against what you have declared as unacceptable.

If you are sitting there thinking "Hmmm - 'renounce' that word feels like I've heard it in church before as part of a service" you would be correct. In the typical liturgy for both baptism and affirmation of baptism, aka confirmation, three questions are asked before we share the Apostle's Creed. These questions are: ● Do you renounce the devil and all the forces that defy God? ● Do you renounce the powers of this world that rebel against God? ● Do you renounce the ways of sin that draw you from God? So that is what we have renounced and thus what we are resisting. Anything that tries to separate us from God or separate any of God's creation from God. That is part of what Pride month is - resisting homophobia, transphobia, queerphobia, and anything else that would separate our LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized siblings from being their true selves that God gave them and to deny or separate them from God's love. This resistance isn't just for this month, but for our entire lives, that is what we are called to be and do as Christians, which we proclaim in our baptismal vows. This resistance is for anything that denies people full access to be themselves, live their life how they want, and to experience God's love.

So now that we know what we are resisting, let's go on a journey together. A journey through the four aspects that we can bring into this resistance - lament, foundation, joy, and courage. When thinking about these four aspects, another common structure to us that has four parts came to mind - the structure of our worship service: Gathering, Word, Meal, and Sending. Along this journey we'll have time to reflect. I know silence can be uncomfortable, but also silence gives us time to reflect and think. After each stop on our journey, we'll pause for a moment to give you time to reflect. I'll give some questions to ponder during the silence. Feel free to just think about them, maybe jot some notes down if you like writing out your thoughts, or if you feel compelled to share out loud - that is fine too.

Stop one on our journey - Lament, which can be a passionate expression of grief or sorrow. Lament comes in many different forms. We can lament by ourselves - and this lament can be for ourselves as well - for our sins we have done, ways we have failed to resist the things that separate us and the world from God. We can lament for others or the world either by ourselves or in community. Also, God can lament. This is what we find happening in the words of the prophet Hosea. In the reading today we find God lamenting that God's people have turned from God. The focus here is that God wants the people of Israel to have steadfast love toward God, and toward each other, instead of focusing on sacrifice and burnt offerings.

This theme is repeated again in Psalm 50 where God reminds us that God has everything they need, so burnt offerings and physical sacrifices aren't what is needed, but instead we should offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and to keep our close connection with God.

Turning to our worship structure, we start with the Gathering where the Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God. When we use confession and forgiveness as part of the Gathering portion of our service, this can be a form of lament, we are lamenting all the things we have done wrong where we gave in to the forces that defy God and the powers of the world that rebel against God. In the Kyrie we are praying to our Lord for the world, our community, and for us, which can have tones of lament if we are asking for God's presence to help us while we lament the things that are wrong in the world.

Time to pause and reflect on our first stop on our journey of resistance - Lament. What do you lament? What do we ask marginalized people to sacrifice or change about themselves to fit in? How can we lament with them over the harms we have caused to bring them back into God's fully inclusive love?

Stop number two - Foundation - an underlying basis or principle. For us as Christians, our foundation in one word is "God". Our reading from Romans is a good reminder that we are called to God through faith, not through following laws. In the story of Abraham we are reminded of his great faith and that through God all things are possible. God often calls the unexpected to accomplish God's work. As Lutherans another underlying principle is that we are saved by grace through faith, and this is a gift given freely to us from God. Another core foundation is to love your neighbor as yourself. All these are about building a true connection with God - through relationships, love, and mercy; not through sacrifices and following strict laws.

The next portion of our worship service that helps us build our foundation is the Word section where God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching, and song. This is a core part of our service where we receive God's word through the various readings, learn more about it and how it can apply to our lives, and then help cement that message through song. This portion of the service also includes the creed and prayers of intercession. These also help us cement our foundation in our core beliefs that give us the basis and reminder for what we are resisting.

Time to pause and reflect on our second stop on our journey of resistance - Foundation. What are your core beliefs as part of your foundation? Do we stray from our foundation and focus instead on cultural, institutional, or false religious laws and rules, that separate us and others from God's love? How can we help each other in keeping a firm foundation?

Stop number three - Joy - a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. In the first part of our reading from Matthew today we find Jesus having dinner with Matthew, a tax collector, and other sinners. The commentary for the Lutheran Study Bible says this about the "sinners": "Social and moral outcasts, many of whom would have been enslaved in this part of the Roman Empire. By eating with such people, Jesus bestows honor upon them, in keeping with the blessings he bestowed on the unfortunate in the beatitudes" So they were sinners as viewed by others and not because of who they were. Jesus saw them as fellow humans and people that deserve to be treated as any other person and not as some social outcast simply because that is what society says. Imagine the joy they have when Jesus resists societal norms and joyfully eats with them. Jesus does not diminish this joy when questioned by the Pharisees. He lets the joy continue and says this meal and being with the societal outcasts is what God wants - followed by a reminder, tying back to our previous readings, that God desires this mercy and kindness, not sacrifice.

This brings us to the third part of our worship service - the Meal where God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ. This part of the service starts with the offering - where, with joy, we can offer back to God what we have to allow the work of God to be accomplished. We don't do this because we are called to sacrifice, instead we are joyful in what God has provided to us, so we want to return a portion so that we can spread that joy. We then share a meal together, holy communion, just as Jesus shared a meal with the societal outcasts of his day - we are all invited, regardless of how society views us, as children of God to have a meal where we receive Christ. What joy we receive in this meal.

Time to pause and reflect on our third stop on our journey of resistance - Joy. What brings you joy? How can we bring joy to those society wants to take joy away from?

Our final stop - stop number four - Courage - mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. In the second part of today's Gospel reading, we find two examples of courage. First for the person to come in, interrupt the gathering, and basically demand that Jesus come and lay his hand on the daughter so that she will live. Then for the woman, which society would have deemed unclean and an outcast, to come up in public to dare to touch Jesus's cloak, which would have also made Jesus unclean. Then, in an act of resistance to society norms, Jesus doesn't ignore these people and tell them to go away, he responds out of compassion and love and lets them know they are healed and made alive. These two people took great courage, based on their faith, to take action for what they believed in.

The final part of our worship service is the Sending where God blesses us and sends us in mission to the world. In this section we receive the blessing, sing a sending song, and have the dismissal. All of these are designed to give us courage to know God is with us always. Through this courage we are called to go out into the world to proclaim God's message of radical love and continue our resistance to everything in the world that draws us and others away from God. We aren't called to simply renounce them for our own personal beliefs, but actively resist the powers of the world that rebel against God for ourselves and others. We are called to actively resist anytime we find society or people causing pain and suffering to anyone, especially those marginalized in our society - our LGBTQIA+ siblings, our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color siblings, our siblings with differing abilities - either mental or physical, those who are hungry or lack adequate housing, and so many more.

Time to pause and reflect on our final stop on our journey of resistance - Courage. What brings you courage? How can you help give others courage?

Our journey in today's message has come to an end, but our journey of resistance continues on. May we all take these pieces, so that in our own lives, in our church's work, and in our worship make time and space for lamenting, for reclaiming our foundation, for sharing our joy, and building up our courage. So that together we may renounce and resist all the ways of this world that draw us away from God and prevent God's message of radical love for all and unconditional forgiveness, from being fully realized. Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Softly and Tenderly with a flute solo by Gwynne Kadrofske at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC