As we celebrate new life through Holy Baptism this Sunday, it’s somehow appropriate that we also celebrate all those who have gone before us in building this country on Independence Day, July 4th. Through God’s grace, we are freed from the bondage of sin, rewarded with the free gift of eternal life.
Today is Sunday, June 18th, the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost. It’s also Father’s Day, so take some time to say thank you to Father, or Dad, or Pop, or whatever name he goes by in your life.
Here are the Readings and Announcements for this week.
In this week’s Gospel lesson from Matthew 9, the Pharisees are aghast that Jesus would share a meal with tax collectors and sinners. Shocking! And he healed a woman whose affliction made her unclean, a social outcast. Horrifying! And, when one of the local elites, the leader of the synagogue, came asking for help because his daughter had died, he went. Miraculous!
Jesus didn’t see social boundaries as we do. He saw people. People who were hurting. People who needed his help.
Who needs your help this week?
Are you hurting, in need of help? Jesus is still there for you.
In today’s first reading, we hear again the story of creation. God is still creating. New leaves on trees. New flowers. New birds and other animals. New people (both young and old and in between).
And remember, God is with us to the end of the age.
Pentecost marks the 50th day after Easter and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Today we move from the white of the Easter season, to Red, the color of fire and of joy. May the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit blow through your life, stoking the fires of faith and love and peace.
