#ComeSunday #WorshipBulletin: Read the scripture and download the bulletin to prepare for Sunday worship and Tuesday Bible study!
Matthew 11:16-19 (New Revised Standard Version)
16 “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
Summary:
What is God’s “end game?” for Inglewood First UMC? What is God’s “end game” for our nation and world? This sermons series explores what it means for “God’s will to be done” and how God calls, equips and empowers us all to fulfill our purpose as the church.
In this scripture, Jesus exposes how the expectations placed upon him are irrational and unreasonable. John the Baptist was demonized and called an overzealous radical. Jesus the Christ was vilified for not being radical enough. Jesus exposes his critics, saying that by their standards “we can’t win for losing.” God’s wisdom reveals that the rules of the world are rigged and wisdom guides us to work for “liberty and justice for all.”
Reflection Questions:
- What is a word, phrase or image that comes to mind when you read or hear the text?
- What does this scripture teach you about wisdom?
- What does God invite you to do, change or be through this passage?