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Ganging Up on a Neighbor

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“Ganging Up on a Neighbor”

John 8:1-11 (8:7) – August 3, 2025

Have you ever watched a bunch of people gang up on one poor person? I’m thinking in elementary school, in the playground. Or, what about at the lunch table in high school? Even in the break room at work? A few mean words can turn nasty, fast! Sometimes if it goes too far, a group of people really start to pick on one poor person, or shun them, even ostracize them! And worst of all, the people doing the shunning can be such hypocrites!

Now we are entering the sketchy neighborhood of our Scripture reading for this morning. We have a group of Jewish leaders, big shots in their synagogues. You know what happened. These Jewish leaders have grabbed a woman in the very act of adultery. She may have been a married woman, and she was having sex with a man who was not her husband.  

The Rabbi Jesus has been talking with and discussing with groups of these leaders for some time. And, Jesus has been very successful at dialoging with these leaders, too! But, wait – they finally think they have got a situation that the Rabbi Jesus cannot squirm out of!

“Imagine the sense of urgency and the heightened emotions of the crowd swarming in on Jesus as he taught in the temple. They put this woman in front of the crowd. The Pharisees used her as an item, an object, a thing to entrap Jesus. I can imagine the contempt in the Pharisee’s voice as he asked, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. . . . Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’” [1]

Now, wait just a moment! The Jewish leaders have dragged this woman in front of Jesus, in front of the crowd in the Temple, and are accusing her, with baited breath! I can just see the crowd getting all agitated and upset! “Of course the Law of Moses tells us that adultery is bad! Of course this woman is guilty – our Jewish leaders say so! Of course she should be punished!” I can just hear the voices and noises of the crowd becoming more and more frantic and angry!

And, what does Jesus do? Nothing. He does not respond. He does not fly off the handle, as some people would. He does not react abruptly to the leaders or the crowd, either. Instead, Jesus stooped down and began writing on the ground with His finger. Finally, after the Jewish leaders kept badgering Him with questions, the Rabbi Jesus does respond.

Except, that makes me wonder. I know in our culture, in the United States, we do not stone people. Except, we still will ignore, and even jeer at people sometimes. We still practice shunning individuals in this country, sometimes.

These Jewish leaders and big shots at their synagogues seemed to have it all together. Except, these men were hypocrites, all the way! Saying one thing and doing another is the height of hypocrisy! I suspect these men – because the Jewish leaders were all men – these men felt fully justified in themselves. Fully self-righteous, and they couldn’t be bothered with pesky little things like their own repeated sin, or their conscience pricking them on the inside.

 I want each of us to understand how damaging it is to say one thing but do something totally different. “Do as I say, not as I do!” This is definitely the work of a hypocrite.

 “Hypocrisy creates barriers, harms relationships, and leads people away from God. In Matthew 23:27, Jesus calls out the Pharisees, saying, ‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones.’ The Pharisees focused on appearing holy, while ignoring God’s call to live with integrity and compassion.” [2]

The angry leaders who brought the woman to Jesus clearly were accusing and vicious towards the unnamed woman, and considered her simply a thing, an object of sin. I wonder whether they even considered the fact that this woman was a person of worth, or that she was created by God, just as much as each of them were? These were ways in which these leaders of the community could certainly live out God’s call to live each day with integrity and compassion – which the Rabbi Jesus did each day.

Jesus did not suddenly react or defend either Himself or the woman. Instead, He slowed down the frenetic emotion and action. Jesus reflected, and listened. Finally, Jesus made a comment. I imagine Him making that comment in a quiet but firm voice: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then, “those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.”

Our summer sermon series features Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. We have considered several serious narratives from the Gospels during this series, and this week is no exception. Fred Rogers was no stranger to serious matters. A number of his television shows discussed very serious things – to children, yes, but also to adults. Divorce, death, war, and even the terrorist activity in 2001, on 9/11.

Fred Rogers excelled at listening to people. “Reflective listening, which does not imply agreement, pauses your agenda and aims to understand first. Fred listened intently and often agreed with the children since he was tuned into their fears and frustrations. [One of Fred’s signature messages,] ‘I like you just the way you are’ can’t get any more validating – pure emotional gold.” [3]

When Jesus practiced reflective listening in this extremely emotional situation in the Temple, we can see how tuned in Jesus was to the crowd’s fears and frustrations. And then, He turned the situation around, even turned it on its head by stating to the accusers in a quiet but firm voice: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Jesus saw this woman as someone worthy of respect, a creation of God, unlike the men who accused her. Jesus’ words and actions offers this woman self-reflection and changed behavior at the realization of sin, just as He offered to the Jewish leaders and the crowds, multiple times throughout His ministry.  “Jesus’s actions were scandalous because they broadened acceptance, extended mercy and forgiveness to the undeserving, and brought justice to the overpowered and abused. Will the church ever do the same?” [4]

Yes, today’s Scripture reading is extremely serious. And yes, Jesus makes His offer of grace and mercy, forgiveness and compassion to this woman, to the Jewish leaders who accused her, to the crowd, and to each one of us today. We can live honest, compassionate lives, with kindness and humility, today.

Here’s a challenge: “try to pay close attention to any moments when you might feel yourself slipping into judgment or hypocrisy. Maybe it’s a small thought about someone’s behavior, or a reaction to something they said. When you notice this, take a step back and remind yourself that we aren’t perfect either. Instead of letting judgment grow, try saying a silent prayer—for that person and for yourself. Ask God to help you see them through His eyes, with compassion and understanding.” [5]

I know I often ask in my sermons “what would Jesus do?” Who would Jesus forgive?

This week, I am going to change up my question, and ask “what would Fred Rogers do?” Who would Fred listen to? Who would Fred call his neighbor? I think, everyone. Each and every person, no matter who. Go. Go, and do that.

Alleluia, amen.

(A big thank you to the online resources for Mr. Rogers Day – the Sunday nearest March 20th, Fred Rogers’ birthday. These resources come from the Presbyterian Church (USA). https://www.pcusastore.com/Content/Site119/Basics/13792MrRogersIG_00000154465.pdf )

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/four-important-lessons-we-can-learn-from-jesus-and-the-woman-in-john-8/

[2] https://young-catholics.com/14808/exploring-hypocrisy-free-lesson-plan/

[3] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-full-picture/202302/mister-rogers-remembered-since-we-need-him-now

[4] https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/four-important-lessons-we-can-learn-from-jesus-and-the-woman-in-john-8/

[5] https://young-catholics.com/14808/exploring-hypocrisy-free-lesson-plan/

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A Neighbor and His Daughter

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“A Neighbor and His Daughter”

Matthew 9:18-26 (9:25) – July 20, 2025

Welcome to the neighborhood! St. Luke’s Church neighborhood, that is.

I am continuing with our summer sermon series on Mister Rogers. You know, Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. I watched the television show with my small children – all four of them, at various times. I so appreciated Fred’s gentle, caring, loving way of speaking to everyone. Not only the children. He was the real deal. Fred was a genuine, caring, compassionate person, interested in everyone and everything. And, especially in children.

We are looking at a Scripture reading today that highlights a child, this week. Actually, it highlights both a girl child and a sick, unmarried woman, two people who were second-class citizens in the society of Jesus’s day. Women, especially unmarried women, were second-class, as were children. The only people who were of any worth in first-century society were males, and especially free males who owned property.  

But, let us leave this social class commentary for another day. I want us to concentrate on, first of all, the man who approaches the Rabbi Jesus, to ask if He could come and heal his daughter who is very sick. Actually, this narrative appears in three of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke. There are slight differences in the telling of the narrative. In two accounts, the sick girl is still living, but at the point of death. In Matthew’s account, she has already died. In any of these narratives, it is a terrible tragedy for this father.

We understand that if two individuals are eye-witnesses to a car accident, but see it from the opposite sides of the street, we will have two different perspectives of the same accident. Just so here. Just so with the three writers of the Gospels. We see slightly different accounts of the same incident. With Matthew’s account, the father comes to Jesus, begging Him to come and heal his daughter – his dead daughter.

The father Jairus is the leader of the local synagogue. Not just a common attender or member, but the leader. He comes to the rabbi Jesus for help in a time of severe need. He must have been at the end of his rope, the end of all of his resources. Except – as the leader of his synagogue, leaders are trained to be competent and in control, and not supposed to be in desperate agony or heartbreaking fear of losing a much beloved family member. In fact, Jairus threw himself at Jesus’s feet, begging Him to come and raise his daughter from the dead. “He is desperate; his love for his daughter has left him utterly vulnerable.” [1]

As the rabbi Jesus agrees and starts to go with the distraught father, we meet the second of these three people we are concerned with today. This unmarried woman has been sick for a long, long time. Twelve years. She has no standing in her community, and “apparently has no advocate to beseech this teacher on her behalf….Mark’s [account] doesn’t make a point of her impurity or isolation from the community, but because this was most likely vaginal bleeding it would have rendered her impure and, just as important, likely unable to bear children.” [2]

So, we have two desperate people. Two people at the end of their rope, vulnerable for different reasons. This unnamed woman was brave enough, desperate enough, to try to touch the cloak of this Rabbi. As she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Both of these people were seriously grieving, and were reaching out for help.

Both of these dear people – dear to our Lord Jesus – displayed tremendous vulnerability. Vulnerability was and is not a trait that is held up to be something that leaders of groups or CEOs of companies or corporations strive to emulate. Actually, Fred Rogers was vulnerable to lots of people, places and things. Willingly so. He considered vulnerability a strength, considering other people and their feelings and emotions. Just like Jesus did, too.  Fred Rogers saw the neighbor in people, just like Jesus, too.  

Mister Rogers said, “It takes strength to face our sadness and to grieve and to let our grief and our anger flow in tears when they need to. It takes strength to talk about our feelings and to reach out for help and comfort when we need it.” [3]

We are forgetting the third person in this narrative, though. The girl, terribly sick, at the point of death. It is easy to forget about her. She’s twelve years old, utterly helpless and passive, dependent on others, helpless to do anything about anything.

Here are three characters, three people that Jesus touches, heals in different ways. Life-changing ways. Which one do you identify with? “The leader who finds that all the usual advantages and experience that go with his office suddenly avail him nothing? The one who has endured much and isn’t sure she can bear any more? Or the one who is helpless, utterly dependent on others? Which one do you identify with?” [4]

It is only in our admitting our vulnerability that we are able to receive help, and only by admitting our desperation are we willing to try something, anything, that may give us hope. These admissions are not the end of the world! These admissions – these cries for help show that we are not rugged individualists, going it all alone, after all. We can show that we are part of a community, part of a neighborhood. This is a true way of showing courage, leaving behind the false culture of perfection, individualism and stiff upper lip.

This is what being a neighbor is all about, and what both Jesus and Fred Rogers advocate. Can we show mutual respect to others – all others? These three individuals are certainly from three widely different parts of society, and Jesus met them all where they needed Him most. Can we display inter-dependence freely, even call it what it is – the inter-dependence of the Kingdom of God that Jesus keeps preaching about?

Each of us has our own vulnerable, secret (or, not so secret) places inside that call for attention, call for healing and nurture and comfort. All of us have those places and spaces where we grieve and where we wish we could reach out. We all need a nurturing, healing neighborhood of trust, respect and caring.

 Can we – can you and I commit to being that caring community for others? That safe space where others who are hurting and need healing feel the trust and openness? Jesus definitely had that safe space and healing presence all around Him. Fred Rogers did, too. I strive to be that safe space and healing presence for others. See if you can be that for others, too. For all others, just like Jesus. Just like Fred Rogers, too.

And, the best part about this is that you and I do not need to have it all “together” and perfect to do this, to be that safe space. We just need to be open, willing and available to welcome all others into the neighborhood. What would Jesus do? What would Fred Rogers do? Go, do that.

(Thank you so much to David Lose and workingpreacher.org for the wonderful article on Jesus’ very busy day, https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/come-as-you-are. Much appreciated!)

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/come-as-you-are

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.fredrogersinstitute.org/resources/reflections-on-fred-rogers-healing-power-of-presence

[4] https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/come-as-you-are

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Loving Neighbors in the Strangest Places

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“Loving Neighbors in the Strangest Places”

Luke 19:1-10 (19:5) – July 13, 2025

I have rubbed elbows with all kinds of people! I grew up in Chicago in a half-and-half, working-class and middle-class neighborhood. I lived in (and worshiped in) two racially mixed areas of Chicago for some years. I’ve had a number of jobs before I went to seminary at 40 years old, in diverse industries, including the ramp, a huge warehouse, and an order fulfillment center. So, when I hear the Rabbi Jesus getting some guff from the crowd for hanging out with the riff-raff and “sinners,” that surely gets my attention!   

I think today’s Scripture reading is particularly fascinating since it shows someone who was definitely not well liked in his neighborhood. In fact, no one wanted to call him “friend” or neighbor. Zaccheus was a chief tax-collector for the Roman occupation. Yes, he was Jewish, and yes, he was working for the hated occupying foreign forces. And as if that were not enough to get him disliked by his Jewish neighbors, Zaccheus was officially delegated by the Roman government to collect their taxes for them.

The Roman government was not very particular about how they got their tax money – as long as they got it. So, the local tax collectors could be as demanding or dishonest as they wanted to be, all for the purpose of getting money for the Romans. And, if these tax collectors squeezed a little extra money out of their fellow Jews, the Romans did not care. As long as enough money came into the Roman treasury. That was all the occupying force cared about.

I would imagine that Zaccheus was a pretty lonely man. Until – the Rabbi Jesus came to town. This was several years after Jesus had started to preach, teach and do miracles, so I suspect by this time Jesus had quite a following, and quite the reputation! Let’s pick up right in the middle of the narrative: “3Zaccheus wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.”

We read next that the crowd started to grumble, because the Rabbi Jesus saw and spoke with Zaccheus, truly engaged with him, and even said “I must stay at your house today.”  

Can you imagine, being the shortest guy in your high school! Plus, being one of the least popular persons in the town of Jericho! Both of those things must have been painful subjects for Zaccheus. I just imagine that he lived an isolated existence, wanting, hoping that someone would see him, notice him and validate him. This emotional response is only human!

We are currently observing a summer sermon series highlighting the person of Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Have you ever thought of someone who is meek and gentle as being a strong individual? Someone who is so strong and confident themselves that they do not care what other people think? I think that is exactly the kind of person Fred Rogers was. Plus, Fred Rogers thought everyone was deserving of attention and respect, no matter what! And, that deep emotions were important things.

“Of the many lessons Rogers gently gifted his audience, a chief one was that all emotions are valid, even the sad and angry ones. They need acceptance from friends and family and, often, expression – so long as it’s not violent. Sigmund Freud called this ‘sublimation,’ the channeling of destructive impulses into socially acceptable actions. It was a pillar of Rogers-ism, and [Rogers] often referred to dialogue about emotions and feelings as ‘important talk.’” [1]  

The Rabbi Jesus obviously thought that emotions were important – even the emotions of someone hated like Zaccheus. Sure, Zaccheus was seen as a hated tax collector by his Jewish neighbors! But, Zaccheus’s feelings were valid, too! Our Lord Jesus went out of His way to single Zaccheus out, see him, notice him, validate him. And, Jesus invited Himself over for dinner!

Salvation came to Zaccheus’s house that day. Jesus followed him home, and broke bread with him at a lonely table. Salvation comes to all of us when Jesus joins us, has fellowship with us. Even when people do not feel worthy, for whatever reason, to have Jesus join them – it doesn’t matter. Salvation is solidarity, hospitality, and yes, ministry.

Our commentator Karoline Lewis relates a modern (and true) narrative, taken from the column of David Brooks, long time New York Times columnist. Brooks tells the story of Kathy Fletcher and David Simpson. “They have a son named Santi, who went to Washington, D.C. public schools. Santi had a friend who sometimes went to school hungry. So, Santi invited him to occasionally eat and sleep at his house.”

“That friend had a friend and that friend had a friend, and now when you go to dinner at Kathy and David’s house on Thursday night there might be 15 to 20 teenagers crammed around the table, and later there will be groups of them crashing in the basement or in the few small bedrooms upstairs.”

“The kids who show up at Kathy and David’s have endured the ordeals of modern poverty: homelessness, hunger, abuse, sexual assault. Almost all have seen death firsthand — to a sibling, friend or parent.”

“It’s anomalous for them to have a bed at home. One 21-year-old woman came to dinner last week and said this was the first time she’d been around a family table since she was 11… Poverty up close is so much more intricate and unpredictable than the picture of poverty you get from the grand national debates.”

“I started going to dinner there about two years ago,” writes Brooks, “hungry for something beyond food. Each meal we go around the table, and everybody has to say something nobody else knows about them. Each meal we demonstrate our commitment to care for one another. I took my daughter once and on the way out she said, ‘That’s the warmest place I can ever imagine.’”

“The problems facing this country,” says Brooks, “are deeper than the labor participation rate and ISIS. It’s a crisis of solidarity, a crisis of segmentation, spiritual degradation, and [lack of] intimacy.”

“The kids call Kathy and David ‘Momma’ and ‘Dad,’ are unfailingly polite, clear the dishes, turn toward one another’s love like plants toward the sun and burst with big glowing personalities. The gift of Kathy and David is the gift of a complete intolerance of social distance,” insists Brooks. [2]

At church, we speak ‘salvation speech.’ This is speech that sees the other, that regards the overlooked. We speak speech that brings together, and unites across barriers and boundaries, classes and cultures. Speech that creates community and family for everyone. Speech that gives life and says that salvation is here and now, in this world as well as the next. [3]

Jesus said, “Today, salvation has come to this house.” It is salvation to a house, any house. It’s to a neighborhood, each and every neighborhood. This place where Zaccheus lives is where Fred Rogers would welcome, and be welcomed, too.

What would Jesus do? What would Fred Rogers do? Go. Do that.

(A big thank you to the online resources for Mr. Rogers Day – the Sunday nearest March 20th, Fred Rogers’ birthday. These resources come from the Presbyterian Church (USA). https://www.pcusastore.com/Content/Site119/Basics/13792MrRogersIG_00000154465.pdf )

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/08/health/mister-rogers-go-ask-your-dad/index.html

[2] David Brooks, “The Power of a Dinner Table,” The New York Times, October, 18 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/18/opinion/the-power-of-a-dinner-table.html

[3] https://www.workingpreacher.org/dear-working-preacher/salvation-today

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Came to Serve in the Neighborhood

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“Came to Serve in the Neighborhood”

Mark 10:42-45 (10:43) – June 22, 2025

I’ve had a great respect and fondness for Fred Rogers, for many years. You know, Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. I watched the television show with my small children – all four of them, at various times. I so appreciated Fred’s gentle, caring, loving way of speaking to everyone. Not only the children. He was the real deal. Fred was a genuine, caring, compassionate person, interested in everyone and everything. And, especially in children.

Right now, with bombings and raids and rumors of war on the minds of many people worldwide, right now seems like a strategic time for us to be starting a summer sermon series on Fred Rogers. Today’s uncertain time in history is somewhat similar to the uncertain times in the area where the Rabbi Jesus grew up and was teaching and preaching. Occupied territory. I fear that your typical person on that first-century street in Israel did not have guarantees of security or comfort in their lives, either.  

Our reading is from Mark 10, just a few verses before the beginning of chapter 11, where Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday for the final Passion week of His life. This is the very end of Rabbi Jesus’s three-year ministry. His disciples had been with Him, and learned from Him for three whole years. At this time just before the Passion week, Jesus calls all the disciples together to give them a short recap on the Gentiles—the Romans—the worldly way of dealing with pre-eminence, greatness, and authority.

I would like us to focus especially on a few verses from our Gospel reading today.  “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be servant of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

If we notice, Jesus did not want to be a big shot, strong-man, autocratic leader. Instead, we see the life of Jesus as offering unique insights and inspiration to all of us. Our Lord Jesus shows us how to live as a servant leader. In His life and teachings, Jesus consistently demonstrated the core principles of servant leadership. Our Lord Jesus embodied servant leadership in its purest form. [1]

People in the first century just did not understand. Not even when the Rabbi Jesus explained to the disciples that they needed to become completely of no account, like children, they still did not have any idea of what Jesus was talking about.

What is the overarching disconnect and problem here? “Power has been the perennial problem in human history. The reality of power is complex; its use and misuse in all human, social and political relations and interactions has been a question of utmost importance for all peoples.” [2]  

I strongly suspect that Fred Rogers would have objected to have his life compared to the earthly life of our Lord Jesus. However, I see some definite parallels. It is here that Fred Rogers shines. Yes, he totally understood and appreciated becoming like a child. He became vulnerable, totally open, on a daily basis. Fred Rogers turned the power dynamics of the popular world and of politicians and of world leaders on their head. Just exactly like Jesus did.

I’m going to tell you about a church I attended, years back, while I was still at seminary. Smaller church, here in the north suburbs of Chicago. The church was going to have a clean-up day in the nursery and small children’s area, after the morning worship service. The Sunday school and children’s ministry people had been planning it for a number of weeks. A number of people had dressed for church with their cleaning clothes on, blue jeans and t-shirts. The group even sent out for sandwiches for a quick lunch before they began to clean up.

            My husband Kevin approved of the clean-up; our children weren’t that far beyond that younger age group. We couldn’t stay after service that day, but said our good-byes to the cleaners. On our way out, we ran into the associate pastor. She had delivered the sermon that morning and worn her clerical robes in church. However, she had transformed; she had changed into blue jeans and a sweatshirt. She had a bucket and a spray bottle of cleanser in her hands, and cheerfully wished us well as my husband and I went off to the next event.

            My husband’s opinion of that associate pastor rose by leaps and bounds that day. He told me how impressed and pleased he was to see that she was willing to go to work without blowing her own horn. She was willing to get her hands dirty for the church, not just look pastoral and holy up front in the sanctuary. She was willing to be a servant, as well as a leader!

            I know I have mentioned this before, in my past sermons. I’ll mention it again. Fred Rogers was not only the star, puppet performer, writer and producer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, he was also a Presbyterian minister in the PC(USA) denomination. He was ordained into the ministry of communication to families via the medium of television. “Fred Rogers committed his life to making television programs for the very young because he saw its potential as an instrument for good as a gift. He cared deeply about those on the other side of the screen – their needs, concerns, struggles and joys.” [3]

            Years ago, I sensed that deep caring through the television, as my small children watched Mister Rogers. I rejoice that my children – and countless others – had the opportunity and blessing to meet with this television neighbor, who strove to give his absolute best in a way that young children could readily understand.

That is exactly who and what Fred Rogers was, too. Each and every day. He said, “I’d like to be remembered for being a compassionate human being who happened to be fortunate enough to be born at a time when there was a fabulous thing called television that could allow me to use all the talents that I had been given.” [4]

I do not imagine that I have one quarter, even one tenth of the compassionate skills, talents and spiritual gifts that Fred Rogers was blessed with. But, I have the ability to be my honest, caring self in my ministry with others. God has given us all the opportunity and the blessing to be a blessing to others, each and every day.

How can you be a blessing to others, today? Tomorrow? Next month? We don’t need to be television personalities or leaders on the state or national level to follow in the way of Fred Rogers, and of other servant leaders. We can also be faithful in the little things, like clean-up day at the church. How can you and I serve God and serve others, today? We are all called to serve by Jesus. Let us serve in all honesty, caring, and love for others, in our neighborhood today.  

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

[1] https://chieflings.com/examples-of-servant-leaders-in-the-bible/

[2] “Minjung and Power: A Biblical and Theological Perspective on Doularchy (Servanthood),” Kim Yong-Bock, at Religion OnLine.

[3] https://www.misterrogers.org/about-fred-rogers/

[4] https://www.misterrogers.org/about-fred-rogers/

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Blessed Merciful People

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“Blessed Merciful People”

Matthew 5:1-8 (5:7) – August 7, 2022

Have you ever snapped at a family member or a friend? Flown off the handle? Gotten really upset, and even yelled? That’s one thing about family and friends who are close to us – emotions can run deep, and arguments can flare up. Things can get tense, too. When these kinds of emotions and feelings happen to you, how do you handle these feelings? What about thinking of Jesus’ words “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.” 

            Showing mercy must have been important to our Lord Jesus. It was so important that Jesus even included it in His Topsy-Turvy Teachings! Here in Matthew 5 in the Beatitudes, Jesus mentioned some extremely significant ways of thinking, acting and general behavior.

            In previous Beatitudes, Jesus’s thinking has a definite progression, a logical sequence. This idea of mercy follows the others, and especially the one in the previous verse: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Jesus follows this with “Blessed are the merciful.” What a description of the follower of God! But – what if we do not understand what Jesus means by mercy? What is mercy, anyhow?

            One definition: “Mercy is feeling what someone else feels, acting on their behalf, and then dedicating yourself to continue to work for their well-being. Sometimes it is easier to show mercy to a stranger than to show mercy to a family member.” [1]

Let’s look at these Topsy-Turvy Teachings another way. As you and I start to hunger for God, Jesus gives blessings for those who hunger (and thirst) for a righteous life. What does God freely give when people desire to be right with God? You’ve got it. God’s mercy. “We can’t earn God’s mercy, though. It isn’t something we can buy by being good or going to church or saying the right things. Mercy is a gift from God.” [2]

            So often with family or friends, those old, ingrained ways of thinking and acting can kick in automatically. Do you recognize yourself when you snap and snarl at family, or fly off the handle with friends, and not even know where those deep emotions and reactions came from?

Those ingrained habits and reactions go back decades sometimes, often back to childhood. They might have helped you deal with situations and people once, in the past. But what about now? Would Jesus fly off the handle? What if you and I were to react in a different kind of a way? What if instead of getting mad or irritated, we were to speak with mercy and grace? How would our tense or awkward situations be transformed?

            But, wait a minute, Lord! I don’t want to be a doormat! I don’t want people to walk all over me!  I don’t want to get beaten up by all the bullies who come by and cross my path! I can just see a group of kids on a school playground, with several bullies picking on one particular kid. Teasing him or her mercilessly.

            And, what about when we get to be adults? Aren’t there bullies in many workplaces? At some senior centers? People can be hateful and bitter and angry. How are we to act towards them? Are we supposed to be mean and hateful, right back? Again, what would Jesus do?

            Jesus explained mercy another way, in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10. “Let’s talk about a story most of you are familiar with: The Good Samaritan. Instead of just reading through it, let’s see if we can remember the story on our own. Someone who knew the law of God really well once asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him what the law had to say. The lawyer correctly answered with the greatest commandment. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” The lawyer wanted to make excuses for not following this commandment perfectly, so he asked Jesus who his neighbor was. Jesus answered with the story of the Good Samaritan.

“How does it start? With a guy walking along the road getting robbed and beaten half to death. Who walked by first? A priest, who was like the pastor of the time. He ignored the poor guy. Who walked by next? A Levite, who was like a worship leader of the time. He totally ignored the injured man too. Who came by next? A Samaritan. Samaritans were the worst enemies to the Jews back then. [Jews and Samaritans] got along about as well as cats and water, fire and gasoline, peanut butter and pickles. A Samaritan was the last person you would expect to help a Jew. But this guy went above and beyond to do everything he could to help take care of the hurt Jew. After telling this story, Jesus asked the lawyer who he thought was neighbor to the man who was robbed. The law expert said, “The one who had mercy on him.” [3]

How do you respond when you are in arguments or tense situations? Pay close attention to how you respond this coming week. If you feel yourself starting to snarl, or beginning to argue, or have harsh words with a family member or friend, stop yourself right there.

            God can help us, you realize. If someone is particularly difficult to show mercy to, ask God. And, our God will assist us! Those situations can be transformed! Take a moment (or two, or three!), breathe, remember Jesus’s words about mercy, and start over again.

            “And when we try to feel how others might be feeling and show mercy by acting on their behalf and dedicating ourselves to their well-being, we are following God’s example. This is why Jesus said those who are merciful are blessed.” [4] A Beatitude, indeed!

@chaplaineliza

(Suggestion: visit me at my other blogs: matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers. #PursuePEACE – and  A Year of Being Kind . Thanks!

(Thanks to illustratedministries.com for their excellent Summer 2022 family Sunday school curriculum on the Beatitudes. I will be using this curriculum all summer as source material for a summer sermon series on the Topsy-Turvy Teachings of Jesus!)

[1] Illustrated Ministries, Curriculum for Summer Sunday school family series, “The Beatitudes.” Summer 2022.

[2] https://ministry-to-children.com/beatitudes-lesson-six/

[3] https://ministry-to-children.com/beatitudes-lesson-six/

[4] Illustrated Ministries, Curriculum for Summer Sunday school family series, “The Beatitudes.” Summer 2022.