Reflection on Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

I have one prayer for you.  It is the same prayer I have for you every day, but it really comes into focus here at the beginning of Lent.  I pray that you might be free.  Truly free. 

Free to be the person that God created you to be. 

Free from all the distractions in life.

Free to enjoy the new life that Jesus provides. 

I want you to be free from worry about money.  I do not wish you to be like the elderly woman who worries about how the heat is going to be kept on for another month as she tries to find some way to scrape together a living even though the aches and pains of old age are great.  I want people like her to be free from such worry.

I want you to be free from the worries of the world.  I desperately do not want mothers and fathers to stir through the night because of anxiety about the world their children are going to live in.  Whether it be fear of war or homelessness or societal collapse, I wish that mothers and fathers would be free to sleep safe in the knowledge that their children will never be forgotten by God.

And, I want you to be free from any daily habit with which you struggle that hurts you in the long run.  I want you to be free from the alcohol, or the empty calories, or the lack of motion, or the daily complaining, or the anger, or any other number of other things that hurt the body or soul, but are difficult to kick.

I desperately want you to be free from it all because Jesus desires that you be free from it all. 

Jesus desperately wanted to free the crippled who were swept to the sides of the marble laden Roman main streets; those suffering people who gazed up at the nice homes of the two percent. 

So, he did free them.  Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, cured the crippled, fed the hungry, and raised people out of their pits.  He gave of himself so that others might be free.  Then he told each one to keep it all a secret. 

The reason he healed and helped is because that is what love does.  Love frees.

The reason for the secret is because there is no need to get the approval or accolades for doing what love does. 

There is no need to have trumpets blown when giving money for the sake of others.  Nor is there any need to put on a bumper sticker telling about how you care for the earth.  Jesus wants us to be free from that need to be acknowledged too.

Jesus also needed to hand the cares of the world over to God the Father.  So, Jesus went away, alone, to pray. 

Jesus talks of meditating on flowers because they do not worrying, and talks of yolks being lifted from our shoulders, and also talks of doors being opened when knocked upon.  It is all a way of showing us the freedom that comes from giving it all to God in prayer. 

But, Jesus did not do it to show how faithful he was.  If you recall, the disciples needed to ask Jesus how to pray.  Jesus obviously did not make a show of it.

No, Jesus prayed because that is what love does.  He prayed for neighbors.  He prayed for friends.  He prayed for enemies.  He prayed for guidance.  He prayed for God’s will.  He prayed in secret.  And, all of that prayer leads to freedom.

And, Jesus definitely knew the trappings of evil habits and mindsets.  So, Jesus went into the wilderness to deny himself and to fight the devil who tempted him…who tempts us. 

There is a freedom that is found in denying the devil all he wants.  There is a freedom in denying the excess food, or the excess anger, or the excess nicotine, or the excess whatever!  We all have temptations.  We all have bad habits.  We all have unhealthy crutches in life. 

Jesus desired to stay free from it all and desires that we be free from it all. 

But, Jesus did not overcome temptation in order to show how faithful he was.  Jesus desired to be free of the devil because that is what love does.  Love knows no evil.  No recognition is needed.  Jesus wants us to be free of that need for recognition also.

So, during Lent we are given gifts.  We are given the gifts of three disciplines: giving, prayer, and self-denial.

 

Giving.  To give for the well-being of others in a larger way than we have been doing is an incredible gift of freedom from material things and is a gift of love for others.

Prayer.  To intensify our prayer for all in the world, both those we love and those we fear, both those who are friends and those who are enemies, is a gift that draws us closer to others and, most importantly, closer to God.

Self-Denial (also known as fasting).  To determine some aspect of our daily habits that would benefit from self-denial is a gift that draws us away from temptation and the Devil, and away from harm of self and others and, instead allows God to draws us into God’s arms.

After-all, whether you realize it or not, Jesus has already made you free.  You have been given the gift of a new life.  You are already free from all that binds you up or holds you down. 

You are dust and ash who has been remolded and reformed to live lives of love in Jesus, to live lives of freedom. 

So, allow these gifts: Giving, Prayer, and Self-Denial, to un-clutter your vision and un-clutter your lives, so that you may live in the freedom that is yours through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Reflection on Matthew 17:1-9

For just a brief moment, they saw the truth.  But, as such epiphanies usually go, the moment passed quickly, and Jesus was standing with his three closest disciples as he did normally: a man wearing dusty robes and sandals just like them.  But, for just a brief moment on that mountaintop, they saw the truth about Jesus, and hopefully that glimpse of truth changed things for the disciples. 

So, what exactly was that glimmer of truth that the disciples saw? 

Surely, the truth was more than a guy wearing clean, white, laundered clothes with a radiant facial complexion.  Surely, the truth was more than a prophet standing alongside the other great prophets, Moses and Elijah…as great as that might be.  Surely, the truth was much, much more.  And, it was.  The truth that pierced the mountain air that day is a truth that is still sought out today.

Where is God found?  How can I connect with God?

I just heard a guy answer the other day: “Why do I hunt?  I hunt so that I can sit in God’s creation in peace.  It is there that I hope to find God.”

I heard an answer also from a yoga instructor: “Why do I do yoga?  I do yoga so that I can quiet my mind enough so that I can hopefully, at last, be one with God.”

And, it is Peter’s inclination to set up tabernacles, or small tents, so that within those temporary tents he may see God, just as God used to show up in a tent in order to speak with Moses all those years ago in the desert. 

We want God.  We need God.  So we search in the woods, or in our meditations, or in the sacred spaces that we create.

On the lips of a teen who felt lost in the world, sang out the words during a talent show at a Christian camp:

I want to know You
I want to hear Your voice
I want to know You more
I want to touch You
I want to see Your face
I want to know You more.

The words of Chris Tomlin’s song “In the Secret” had found a home in her spiritually wandering heart.  In her “lostness,” the teen wanted to find God.

Searching for God. 

Striving for God. 

Working to find God. 

Seeking God. 

Meditating upon God. 

Finding God.  

All of the phrases speak to our yearning to stretch out as far as we can and touch the divine.  Behind them all is a sentiment that most of us hold in common; that we, somehow, in some way, need to do something in order to find God.

And, that is why the truth of that mountaintop experience that Peter, James and John shared together is so important.  Because, rather than “searching” and “striving” and “seeking,” those disciples discovered in a brilliant flash of light that God’s presence had been walking with them the entire time.  They did not need to work and stretch in order to find God; God had decided to come to them.  They did not need to climb up because, God comes down.

Do you want to know the heart of God?  Do you want to know all that God cares about?  Do you want to see the face of the divine?  God gives you the answer as God’s voice thunders down from the clouds: "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" 

“Listen to him!”

Listen to Jesus.

God reveals that the very heart of God had been walking around with the disciples the entire time in those dusty clothes and sandals.  There is no need to build tabernacles in which we can meet God.  Jesus is God’s tabernacle. 

As the gospel John says, “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth” (TLV, John 1:14). 

In Jesus, we see the very heart of God.  In Jesus, God has come to be with us.

When Jesus is with you, amazing gifts that you might not have known that you even had can shine forth. 

I think of my Namibian friend who, at the height of Namibia’s civil war, was facing the end of a gun wielded by a soldier whose eyes were filled with bright red hatred.  The soldier just happened to also be a neighbor.  With Jesus at her side, the love of enemy in her mind, and the gift of forgiveness in her heart, she spoke what she thought were her last words: 

“Brother, why are you filled with hate?  I love you and I forgive you.  You are a beautiful child of God.”

As if the clouds had parted and the voice of God had spoken, the soldier lowered his gun and walked away, to his home.  They are still friends to this day.

Amazing things can happen when God walks with you.  And, in Jesus Christ, God is right there.

           

Speaking of God being right there, speaking of Jesus being our tabernacle, set up in our mind and in our heart, you too walk with Jesus until the end of the ages. 

And this closeness with the divine is not of your own doing, but because God has chosen to show up.  God has given you the scriptures to work on your heart.  And, God has given a gift of the Spirit which God desires to use for the good of yourself, and the good of your neighbor. 

These two together, the passion provided by the scripture, and the gifts that you have been given through the Spirit, come together to accomplish the will of the Lord. 

Your passion, mixed with you gift, is and will continue to be used by God in order that others may know that God is with them…that God is with us.

Reflection on Matthew 5:21-37

As the plane was descending into Mumbai, India I was struck by the enormity of the slum which resides next to the airport.  Even from the air, small shacks that were thrown together using scraps of building materials, stretched far beyond what you could see.  The size of the slum was beyond comprehension.  The size of the need of all of those people was more than I could even wrap my head around.

Apparently, neither could the local government comprehend its size or even its existence because as we drove away from the airport, the enormity of the slum was muted greatly by miles of wall that lined the side of the road.  Only hints of what lay beyond were seen through momentary gaps as we traveled away.

The wall was a thin, flimsy barrier constructed to hide the need beyond.  And, sometimes I wonder if we construct the same sort of barriers in our lives that hide the need around us. 

Jesus is clear concerning who he cares deeply about.  Blessed are the poor is spirit.  Blessed are the meek.  Blessed are those who mourn.  Blessed are those who are persecuted.  Blessed are those who seek the right thing.  Each of these people garners God’s full attention and thus, should also garner the full attention of the Christian community.

In fact, we are each given spiritual gifts from God that are intended to be used for the sake of all these people for whom God cares deeply.  God has given the right gifts for the sake of the right people. 

Then why do those slums still exist? 

My guess is that it has something to do with the construction of that wall.  That wall hides the reality of those who suffer.  Hiding the reality of the people on the other side of the wall probably makes privileged people driving along the road feel better about life, but the wall does not actually fix anything in reality.  People are still suffering behind that wall. 

Not only does the wall hide people, but the wall also unintentionally hides the very gifts that we have been given to care for one another.  Unused gifts are hidden gifts.  Jesus does not desire that either the suffering people or the gifts of those who could potentially help remain hidden.

Now, it is easy to point out actual walls and their consequences, but there are other not-so-easy to see walls that we construct. 

How many of you have murdered anyone in the past few weeks?  None?  Great!  That is wonderful.  Congratulations.  I know it can be difficult sometimes…especially if you have been involved with any endeavor that requires you to organize and direct a large number of people toward accomplishing a task; extra props to you for not murdering a single one of those people.  And, now that you have not murdered anyone, you can relax behind the wall of that accomplishment.  Now, you do not need to worry about your morality.

Unfortunately, that wall of morality is a flimsy wall.  Jesus points out that calling someone a “fool” can be just as destructive as murder.  As we see on the news, such name-calling can even lead to suicide.  Jesus knew this reality all the way back, 2,000 years ago. 

Continual anger at someone is in itself a wall.  Such anger keeps you at arm’s length from another person; keeping you away from the greatest gift God has given the world: forgiveness.  You cannot construct a wall of self-righteousness with the bricks of non-murder, especially when that wall blocks those who are poor in spirit; people for whom God cares deeply.

The same is true for those who look upon others with lust; putting up a wall of objectification rather than seeing the person for who they are.  Such walls allow human trafficking or even just simple intimidation of women who feel like statues that are stared upon, rather than existing as actual people who matter.  Those who thirst for righteousness are thirsting to be seen and do not desire to be hidden behind walls.

In ancient times there were women who were thrown to the streets to fend for themselves with a simple piece of paper declaring divorce.  Those women also needed to be seen.  But those walls are not just a thing of the past, women who are abandoned to fend for themselves and their families after a breakup or divorce is still an issue today!  Did you know that the single most determining factor of poverty for women and children today is still a breakup or divorce?  Too often a former husband just remarries and moves on while his family struggles. 

Jesus says that when you say, “yes” to your commitments, you should mean “yes.”  Anything less is a wall that hides people about whom God cares deeply.

Walls hide so much!  They hide those who Jesus cares about.  They also render the gifts we have been given to care for the blessed unused.  Walls hide our gifts. 

The good news is that walls are flimsy.  They can be easily toppled by strong winds or the will of God.  And, when they fall, we again get the opportunity to see our neighbors.  “Love your neighbor as yourself,” Jesus declares.  Once the walls are down, the suffering neighbor and the gifts that we have been given to care for one another are both finally revealed.

Speaking of gifts, you have them.  And in this community of faith, we allow God to tear down the walls that hide our neighbor and our gifts. 

You have been given gifts by God for the benefit of yourself and your neighbor.  Take a moment right now to imagine living in a world without walls, where the blessed of God can be seen and touched with a gifted, caring hand.

Reflection on Matthew 5:13-20

This picture is of salt, viewed very very close.

“You are the salt of the earth!”  You are sodium chloride (NaCl).  You are a crystalline mineral that is used around the world to preserve food and keep it from spoiling.  You are processed from salt mines or evaporated from salt water. 

You are sold in scrub form by beautiful women from Israel who stop you in the mall, wash your hands, and gaze into your eyes until you buy at least $50 worth of salt skincare products that you do not need (not that I have ever succumbed to such sales practices). 

You are an essential nutrient for human health via your role as an electrolyte and osmotic solute.  Consumption of you may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, in children and adults.  You have been harvested from water in China as far back at 6,000 BC.  You are salt.

And, that, my friends, was the blandest description of salt I could have possibly provided.  After-all, the power of salt cannot be found in a description of its chemical makeup or use.  The power of salt comes from tasting it.  It comes from experiencing it. 

It is a mineral with passion that invokes a dramatic reaction in the taste buds.  It completes steak, making a savory, comfortably full feeling on the pallet that accompanies special occasions and prepares hard workers for the next day.  It is the gritty element that combines with sugar to create the greatest candy in the world: Resee’s Peanut Butter Cups. 

So, when Jesus says that you are the salt of the world he is saying that you are the passion of God for the whole world to experience.

Guess what this picture is?  It is a light hidden under a bushel basket, of course.  Obvious right?   

This is what people see when you hide all that God is passionate about.   

This is what you see if people refuse to be God’s light.  

Do not hide it, Jesus says.  “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

These good works that you give to your neighbor have the ability to affect your neighbor in profoundly holy ways.  You are God’s salt.  The fundamental elements of your life have the taste of all that God is passionate about.  Be God’s passion to your neighbor! 

You are God’s light.  You shine a light of love and hope on all around.  Do not hide, be God’s light!

It seems simple enough.  Be the salt.  Be the light.  But, there is a way that this can all go wrong. 

For example, you could be the type of person who takes pride in following God’s laws perfectly.  You might be proud that you have never murdered.  You are not as bad as those people.  However, at the same time, you feel no remorse slinging some words toward a neighbor which mocks them; deservedly or not. 

Jesus sees no difference between the two.  Both actions cause harm. 

Being that type of salt is being salt that has lost its saltiness.  It is upholding the law as it is written, “You shall not murder,” but forgetting the passion that God has instilled within the law: loving your neighbor and your enemy.  Show mercy to all; that is the taste of true salt.

You could be the person who points out the faults of other people, and how stupidly they make their decisions in life, all the while failing to see the log of stupidity within your own eye.  How can you lead someone to healing if you have not healed yourself?  How can you be an example of God’s passionate love for the world if you refuse to shine a light of forgiveness? 

God does not require that people to try harder in life in order to receive love and healing.  Instead, God requires that his followers show mercy.  “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” Jesus continually reminds us through the gospel of Matthew.  Mercy is the light that breaks through the darkness of the world.

After-all, following Christ is not about only following the letter of the law.  It is not about keeping the Sabbath Day holy and refusing to do any work at all (and forcing others to refrain from work at the same time) all the while watching people suffer.  While we watch people suffer we do not say, “Well, at least I did not break a commandment."

That misses the point!  The whole purpose of the Sabbath is for God to renew life in a world that needs healing and rest.  For Christians, the Sabbath is about Jesus raising people from the depths of death to new life; raising people up from the grave. 

In other words, being the salt of the earth and the light of the world is about never forgetting the purpose of God’s laws: to bring life and love and peace (Shalom) to all of God’s people.  It is NOT about blindly following the rules for the sake of following the rules.  It is allowing God’s passion behind the rules to bring new life to the world. 

There are truck loads of people in the world that can point to the rules on the wall and point out how you are failing.  Lots of people are excellent at making you feel like you are a failure. 

But, God’s people understand that mercy and love are the passions existing behind the rules.  God’s people care about that.  God's people go above and beyond the rules.

God’s people are the salt of the earth.  God’s people are the light of the world.  God’s people have the gift of passion in their heart.  They reserve room in their heart for all that God cares about: all that is merciful and loving. 

In this way, God’s people exceed the righteousness of those who care only about the rules being followed perfectly. 

God’s people primarily care about Jesus’ self-giving love that is shown on the cross. God’s people shine the light of love because God is love.

You are God’s passion here on earth.  You are the one who follows the commandments as God intends them to be followed, without abandoning a single letter or punctuation.  

The Bible says that you are the salt of the earth.  The Bible does not say that you can become the salt of the earth.  No!  You are the salt of the earth.  You are God’s passion here on earth. 

So, what is your passion?  What part of Jesus’ story does God use to ignite a fire within?  What is the Spirit moving you to care deeply about?  You are the salt.  You are the light.  You are the people of God.

Take a moment to look through the stories of Jesus’ life.  Find the one that sparks a bit of passion from God’s Spirit within.  Many will not spark anything.  Do not feel bad, just read on.  The one that God draws your attention to is the one that holds the potential for some passion.  Find yourself in Jesus' story.  Once you do that you will be able to see in what way Jesus wants you to follow.

Are you led to the feeding stories?  Maybe God wants you to provide food to the needy in some way.  Maybe that is your passion.

Are you led to the healing story of the man who cannot stand or walk?  Maybe, the words of Paul that talk about running the race have always called out to you.  Perhaps, those scriptures mold you into a runner who runs races that raise money for a cause like the Muscular Dystrophy Association?

Take a moment to look through the scripture and find your passion.  Discover your own particular flavor of salt!

What Part of Jesus’ Story Draws You In?

Matthew 2:9-12           The Wisemen give gifts to the baby Jesus

Matthew 2:13-23         Jesus and his family are refugees from a corrupt government

Matthew 3:13-17         Jesus is baptized and named, “The Beloved”

Matthew 4:1-11           Jesus resists the devil’s temptation

Matthew 4:18-22         Jesus calls people to “Follow me”

Matthew 5:3                Blessed are the poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:4                Blessed are those who mourn

Matthew 5:5                Blessed are the meek

Matthew 5:6                Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

Matthew 5:7                Blessed are the merciful

Matthew 5:8                Blessed are the pure in heart

Matthew 5:9                Blessed are the peacemakers

Matthew 5:10              Blessed are those who are persecuted

Matthew 5:16              Let your light shine before others

Matthew 5:21-26         Be reconciled to your brother or sister

Matthew 5:38-42         Turn the other cheek…Go the second mile

Matthew 5:43-48         Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

Matthew 6:1-8             Give and pray in secret

Matthew 6:9                The Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6:19              You cannot serve God and wealth

Matthew 6:25-34         Do not worry about your life…Consider the lilies of the field

Matthew 7:1-6             Do not judge…take the log out of your own eye

Matthew 7:7-11           Ask, and it will be given you

Matthew 7:21-27         Everyone who hears and acts of Jesus’ words are like a wise man

Matthew 8:1-4             Jesus chooses to touch and heals a leper

Matthew 8:5-13           Jesus heals a centurion’s servant

Matthew 8:14-17         Peter’s mother-in-law gets up and serves after Jesus heals her

Matthew 8:23-27         Jesus calms a storm at sea

Matthew 8:28-34         Jesus casts out demons into the pigs

Matthew 9:1-8             Jesus forgives and heals a man in front of critics

Matthew 9:9-13           Jesus eats with sinners…I desire mercy, not sacrifice

Matthew 9:18-26         Jesus heals a little girl and a woman is healed by touching his cloak

Matthew 9:27-34         Jesus heals the blind and makes the mute to speak

Matthew 9:35-38         Jesus has compassion on the crowds…they are without a shepherd

Matthew 10:1-15         Jesus sends disciples to cure, cleanse, raise dead - taking nothing

Matthew 12:1-13         The disciples eat and Jesus cures on the Sabbath…showing mercy

Matthew 12:22-37       Jesus is accused of being evil for doing good (casting out demons)

Matthew 12:46-50       Jesus points to his followers as being his true family

Matthew 13:1-23         Parable of the sewer of seeds

Matthew 13:31-32       Parable of the mustard seed…smallest seed creates a great bush

Matthew 13:53-58       Jesus is not accepted in his hometown

Matthew 14:13-21       Jesus feeds the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish

Matthew 14:22-33       Jesus walks on water and saves Peter after he fails to walk

Matthew 15:1-11         Jesus teaches that what comes out of the mouth is what defiles

Matthew 15:21-28       A gentile woman opens Jesus up to ministering to the gentiles

Matthew 15:29-39       Jesus heals many and feeds the 4,000

Matthew 16:13-20       Peter declares Jesus as the Messiah, Son of the living God

Matthew 16:21-28       Jesus tells his followers to deny themselves and take up the cross

Matthew 17:1-9           Jesus is transfigured…revealing his divinity

Matthew 17:14-21       Jesus heals an epileptic boy who the disciples could not heal

Matthew 18:1-6           Jesus takes a child and teaches us to be humble like the child

Matthew 18:7-14         Jesus warns to not cause others to stumble, none should be lost

Matthew 18:15-35       Jesus teaches about forgiveness…forgive even 77 times

Matthew 19:3-12         The two shall become one flesh…let no one separate

Matthew 19:13-15       Let the little children come to me, do not stop them

Matthew 19:16-22       Sell your possessions…give the money to the poor…follow me

Matthew 19:23-30       The first will be last and the last will be first

Matthew 20:1-16         The gracious employer who pays the last the same as the first

Matthew 21:1-11         Jesus rides on a donkey and is praised

Matthew 21:12-17       Jesus removes sellers…“My house shall be a house of prayer!”

Matthew 21:33-46       The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone

Matthew 22:1-14         Everyone on the streets are invited to the wedding banquet

Matthew 22:15-22       Give to God the things that are God’s

Matthew 22:34-40       Love God and love the neighbor - the greatest commandments

Matthew 23:1-12         All who humble themselves will be exalted

Matthew 23:37-49       Jesus desires to gather all under his wings like a mother hen

Matthew 26:6-13         A woman anoints Jesus for his burial with costly ointment

Matthew 26:17-30       “Take, eat; this is my body…”

Matthew 26:36-46       “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”

Matthew 26:47-56       “All who take the sword will perish by the sword.”

Matthew 26:69-27:10  Peter denies Jesus and Judas is ashamed of his betrayal

Matthew 27:11-25       The crowds call for Jesus crucifixion in front of Pilate

Matthew 27:32            Simon carries Jesus’ cross

Matthew 27:33-56       Jesus is mocked; dies - the temple curtain tears & dead are raised

Matthew 27:57-61       Joseph of Arimathea, Mary Magdalene, and Mary bury Jesus

Matthew 28:1-10         Jesus is raised from the dead and greets the women who tell

Matthew 28:16-20       Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…I am with you

Luke 1:39-56               Mary sings of the Lord raising the lowly and filling the hungry

Luke 2:8-20                 Lowly shepherds are chosen to bear witness to the birth of Jesus

Luke 2:25-40               Simeon and Anna, great in age, bless & prophesy about the Jesus

Luke 5:17-26               Friends break through a roof so that their friend might be healed

Luke 6:20                    “Blessed are the poor”

Luke 10:25-37             Parable of an unlikely person helping (the Good Samaritan)

Luke 15:1-32               The lost are found (sheep, coins, sons)

Luke 16:19-31             A rich man ignores Lazarus who was poor at his doorstep

Luke 19:1-10               A short tax collector commits to giving to the poor

Luke 21:1-4                 Jesus commends the generosity of a poor, widow

Luke 23:42                  Jesus forgive a thief on the cross who confesses

John 1                         The word was with God and the word was God

John 2:1-11                 Jesus blesses a wedding feast with wine

John 3:16-17               For God so loved the world…that the world might be saved…

John 4:1-42                 Jesus has a theological discussion with a Samaritan woman by a well

John 5:1-16                 Jesus heals an ill man on the Sabbath

John 6:35                    “I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.”

John 8:1-11                 Jesus defends a woman. “Who is without sin...throw a stone”

John 10:11                  “I am the good Shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life…”

John 11:1-57               Jesus weeps and raises Lazarus from the dead

John 15:9-17               “Love one another as I have loved you.”

Acts 16:11-15              Lydia, a seller of fine cloth, supports the ministry of the Apostles

Acts 9:36-42                Peter raises Tabitha; beloved; sewed for others and gave to the poor