So i'm preaching on Sunday. it's wednesday, and I decided it was probably time to look at the passage they want me to preach on. i open the bible to Luke 6:27-36, feeling very depressed because of another hard night at the Hub. and what does Jesus have to say? "love your enemies. do good to those who hate you...lend without expecting any return...God is generous to the stingy and the wicked, and you must be merciful, just as your heavenly Father is merciful."
I don't know what I'm gonna do...this thing's been bugging me all day. who cares what i'm supposed to say to the church, i feel like this is Jesus speaking right to me. when i read it, the first thought that came to mind was "i should take the guy who slapped me in the Hub out for a meal." i read the passage to Emma (co-worker at Bethel) - just because it was bugging me, and without any prompting from me, she said what I'd been thinking. I'm excited and freaked out at the same time. Tom Wright says this passage is all about which God you know: is it the God of astonishing, scandalous mercy or is it someone else?
2 comments:
This is your opportunity Dan to love this kid like he may have never felt loved before.
There's still no guarantee of a happy ending here. This kid may spit or laugh in your face if you try to be nice to him, or he may even go to dinner with you but never act thankful or any more respectful.
It's hard though for someone to see the Gospel for what it really is if they have no concept of what it is like to be cared for or loved in any way.
Let me know how it goes!
You're right, Pat. That's why I think Wright's thoughts are so important - our generosity is a response to the generosity of God. We talked about your exact cautions last night - we can't pursue this guy with the expectation that he'll respond in a certain way.
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