Posts from April 2026

Introduction As we continue our post-Easter series Reckless Love, we turn to John 4, where Jesus walks his disciples straight through Samaria, a region most Jewish travelers went out of their way to avoid. He sits down at a well, starts a conversation with a woman no one of his day would bother to speak to, and when the Samaritans invite him to stay, he stays for two days. Paul, in his letter to the church in Corinth, might call this…

Introduction As we continue our post-Easter series Reckless Love, we turn to Psalm 103 and Luke 6. The psalmist remembers a God who forgives, heals, redeems, and crowns with steadfast love. God does all of this, the psalmist says, because “he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.” Jesus tells his disciples to love their enemies, give without expecting anything back, and be merciful as God is merciful. This goes well past the point where most of…

Introduction As we continue our post-Easter series Reckless Love, we return to a central question from our source book: who exactly is our neighbor? Last week we explored what it means to begin with love. This week we ask who that love is actually for, and whether the answer is as broad as Jesus seems to intend. In this week’s reading, we follow Jesus from the shores of Gennesaret to the home of a tax collector, and the pattern of who he chooses…

Introduction As we begin our post-Easter series Reckless Love, we open with a question central to our Judeo-Christian faith: of all the commandments, which one comes first? Most Christians remember Jesus’ response when asked in the synoptic Gospels, and perhaps we might consider that we’re a bit too familiar with what Jesus says. Perhaps we’ve been looking at it backwards. This Sunday, we take that backwards look seriously. Reading from Mark 12 and Galatians 5, we ask what it means…