Daily Dose of the Word of God - Luke 7: 36-39

Rachel Klooster & Billy Heschl

Transcript

Rachel Klooster 0:07  

Welcome to ECRC’s Daily Dose of the Word of God. I’m Billy Heschl, reading for Rachel Klooster.  It’s Tuesday, May 13 , but Sunday’s Coming. It’s the season of Easter, and we have the blessed opportunity to respond to the reality of Jesus’ resurrection life. Today’s Bible reading is from Luke 7:36-39

Rachel Klooster 0:27  

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down at the dinner table. Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him.

Rachel Klooster  1:06  

You may have heard that our ECRC parking lot is the new home of the Elmhurst Farmers Market this summer. You also may know that our church hosts a Ukrainian church each week and we are partnering with a city church, Grace in Garfield. In addition our church volunteers with My Brother’s kitchen in the city, and York Center to our west. All these opportunities and partnerships mean that we could - and will - be interacting with people from outside our circle. Others that might not know what “Christian Reformed” means, or what it means to be a Christian. The Pharisee in this story had a hard time dealing with someone who was “other”. He couldn’t believe that Jesus was letting her fall all over him, let alone that Jesus was even letting her near by. We’ll give him a little bit of a break - because he was trained in Jewish law, which did put a lot of rules and regulations on how they were supposed to act - but watching Jesus’ actions, gives us an example of how he would like us to act towards everyone - friends and “others”.

Rachel Klooster  2:13  

As we enter into a summer season where many people outside our church will be entering our physical spaces, this story is a good reminder for me to be warm, welcoming and open to those I encounter. I hope that I - and we - can put aside any ingrained “rules” and see each individual for who they are and meet them where they are at. To love them and be good neighbors (and maybe pick up some delicious produce along the way!).

Rachel Klooster  2:39  

Let's pray. Thank you Jesus for your example to us of loving those around us and those that may feel other to us. Help us to resist our judgmental attitudes and have an open, warm, loving heart towards those who we encounter this summer. In Jesus name, amen.