Matthew

Ash Wednesday Reflection – February 14, 2024

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Pillars of Lent

Matthew 6  When you do good deeds, don’t try to show off. If you do, you won’t get a reward from your Father in heaven.

2 When you give to the poor, don’t blow a loud horn. That’s what show-offs do in the synagogues and on the street corners, because they are always looking for praise. I can assure you that they already have their reward.

3 When you give to the poor, don’t let anyone know about it. 4 Then your gift will be given in secret. Your Father knows what is done in secret and will reward you.

5  When you pray, don’t be like those show-offs who love to stand up and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They do this just to look good. I can assure you that they already have their reward.

6 When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private and will reward you.

16 When you go without eating, don’t try to look gloomy as those show-offs do when they go without eating. I can assure you that they already have their reward. 17  Instead, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then others won’t know you are going without eating. But your Father sees what is done in private, and he will reward you.

19  Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. 20  Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. 21 Your heart will always be where your treasure is.

Sunday Reflection – Epiphany, January 7, 2024

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Mary has questions

Matthew 2 When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. 4 Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”

5 They told him, “He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote,

6 ‘Bethlehem in the land
    of Judea,
you are very important
    among the towns of Judea.
From your town
    will come a leader,
who will be like a shepherd
    for my people Israel.’ ”

7 Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. 8 He told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I also want to go and worship him.”

9 The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 They were thrilled and excited to see the star.

11 When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and gave them to him. 12 Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road.

Kids Korner: Following the star (Jan. 7th)

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Read Matthew 2:1-12 with your family.

Epiphany, the celebration of the arrival of the wise ones, is the last part of the Advent-Christmas season.

It is because the wise ones gave gifts to Jesus, that we give gifts as part of our Christmas celebrations.

Those who followed the star were searching for something important, and they show us how to follow God’s call even if it takes a long time.

Sunday Reflection – November 26, 2023

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Separating the sheep from the goats

Matthew 25 31  When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on his royal throne. 32 The people of all nations will be brought before him, and he will separate them, as shepherds separate their sheep from their goats.

33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, “My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. 35  When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, 36 and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.”

37 Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, “When did we give you something to eat or drink? 38 When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear 39 or visit you while you were sick or in jail?”

40 The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.”

41 Then the king will say to those on his left, “Get away from me! You are under God’s curse. Go into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 I was hungry, but you did not give me anything to eat, and I was thirsty, but you did not give me anything to drink. 43 I was a stranger, but you did not welcome me, and I was naked, but you did not give me any clothes to wear. I was sick and in jail, but you did not take care of me.”

44 Then the people will ask, “Lord, when did we fail to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail?”

45 The king will say to them, “Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me.”

46  Then Jesus said, “Those people will be punished forever. But the ones who pleased God will have eternal life.

Kids Korner: Showing kindness to others (Nov. 26th)

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Read Matthew 25:31-46 with your family.

Today’s story is one of the last lessons Jesus taught his followers, and he taught it for all people: When we do things to make life better for others, we are doing it for Jesus too.

Our Christian faith believes God came to us as a baby and was named Jesus. We believe that God wants us to take care of each other, just like Jesus did when he was with his family and followers. And we believe that every person we meet gives us an opportunity to see God in them the way they can see God in us.

And the way to see God in us, the way to show the love that God has for us, is to behave like Jesus did. When people were thirsty he gave them something to drink. When people were sick he healed them.

That kind of simple love is the way God wants us to behave towards each other.

Sometimes people save their best behaviour for anyone we think is important and treat others badly. Jesus taught us it was the opposite, that we should help those who can’t help us back, who don’t have power over us. We are supposed to give our best behaviour and kindness to everyone we meet.

Sunday Reflection – November 19, 2023

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God’s gifts are to be shared

Matthew 25 14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 

19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 

24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 

28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Kids Korner: Sharing the gifts of God (Nov. 19th)

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Read Matthew 25:14-30 with your family.

All of the stories Jesus told had exaggerations in them to make people listen for the meaning of the story.

Today’s story talks about giving money and investing it, but it really wasn’t about the money. The way we can know that is because the money amounts were so big they were beyond understanding. In today’s dollar amounts the first servant would have been given close to 20 million dollars!

So, knowing it was an exaggeration we can now start to figure out what Jesus was really talking about.

We know God has given us many gifts, including love, kindness, and thinking. Jesus has also told us we are supposed to help make God’s world of inclusion and abundance available to everyone, and share those gifts with everyone we meet.

If we share that message and share God’s gifts, we will feel like we get even more love, kindness and deep thoughts back.

But if we don’t share that message or live God’s love, no one will find out how good life could be.

Sunday Reflection – November 12, 2023

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Do not make yourselves important

Matthew 25 The kingdom of heaven is like what happened one night when ten young women took their oil lamps and went to a wedding to meet the groom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps, but no extra oil. 4 The ones who were wise took along extra oil for their lamps.

5 The groom was late arriving, and the young women became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 Then in the middle of the night someone shouted, “Here’s the groom! Come to meet him!”

7 When the women got up and started getting their lamps ready, 8 the foolish ones said to the others, “Let us have some of your oil! Our lamps are going out.”

9 Those who were wise answered, “There’s not enough oil for all of us! Go and buy some for yourselves.”

10 While the foolish ones were on their way to get some oil, the groom arrived. The five who were ready went into the wedding, and the doors were closed. 11  Later the others returned and shouted, “Sir, sir! Open the door for us!”

12 But the groom replied, “I don’t even know you!”

13 So, my disciples, always be ready! You don’t know the day or the time when all this will happen.

Kids Korner: Be prepared, be ready (Nov.12th)

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Read Matthew 25:1-12 with your family.

In the last chapters of the Gospel of Matthew, there are a lot of parables telling us that some will be left out of God’s promise. That has made Christians over our history think we are better than everyone else, and that is wrong.

The people hearing these stories for the first time knew they were not better people, they just wanted to trust that God loved them. They grew up in a world where they were always told God only loves the people with power. The writer of the Gospels wanted people to know it was actions and how we loved that mattered to God, not how much we owned or how much money we had. They needed to be told that God loved them.

We know God loves us and everyone else in this world, and that no one is being left out of the promise for a new world with God.

The take-away lesson from this story is to always be ready, do the things Jesus asked us to do. Be ready by making sure everyone has had enough to eat. Be ready by making sure everyone has a safe place to sleep, like the ten young women in this story. Be ready by making sure we take care of sickness and injuries to each others bodies.

All of us will be part of God’s world, that is always the promise. But by living the way Jesus wants us to live, we will not only be ready, we will be helping that world happen.

Sunday Reflection – November 5, 2023

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Do not make yourselves important

Matthew 23 Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:

2 The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses. 3 So obey everything they teach you, but don’t do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.

4 They pile heavy burdens on people’s shoulders and won’t lift a finger to help. 5  Everything they do is just to show off in front of others. They even make a big show of wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms, and they wear big tassels for everyone to see. 6 They love the best seats at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues. 7 And when they are in the market, they like to have people greet them as their teachers.

8 But none of you should be called a teacher. You have only one teacher, and all of you are like brothers and sisters. 9 Don’t call anyone on earth your father. All of you have the same Father in heaven. 10 None of you should be called the leader. The Messiah is your only leader. 11  Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others. 12  If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.