Thursday, September 22, 2022

The Rev. Rob Stevens

We are all in this together.

Matthew 9:9-13

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means,‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

Jesus reminds the Pharisees that they're not better than anyone else and yes, we eat with sinners and tax collectors because we ARE them. The practice that I invite each of us to is not one of 'getting it right' and 'being perfect' so that we can be at the high table with Jesus, but rather that we take off the veil from our eyes and begin to look around so we may see each other for what we really are. We're a family. We are all in this together. May we have courage and wisdom to truly see each other and ourselves.