...a word from Kathy

P eter, Peter, Peter! Oh, to be as passionate as Peter! He would be the one you want at your next party.  He would be the one to give the emotional toast at a wedding.  He would be the one to encourage you, challenge you to go further.  He would be the star in the room.  We see in Matthew today a portion of his story. Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” 55 In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I s...

W ho doesn’t love a monogrammed set of cuff links, or napkins, or towels, or most anything?  We’re a culture of personalization.  The gift is more special if it’s inscribed with initials.  It takes forethought to give such a gift, planning so that the gift arrives in a timely manner.  It tells the recipient, “I’ve been thinking of you, planning to celebrate you. I’ve gone ahead of you, to prepare a special, custom-made gift.” And so today, we find ourselves in a garden where a similar gift is being prepared.   36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’ 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possi...

T he big day approaches and preparations are ongoing.  There is so much to do and so little time.  We want our guests to feel welcomed, adored and honored.  We’ve decided to ‘roll out the red carpet.’  Historically, the use of red carpet was to honor people, to show respect to kings, leaders, and most recently to movie stars and celebrities.  Participation in these events are invitation only and practically impossible to crash, i.e., attend when not uninvited. A common scene occurred back in 33 AD.  Simon a prominent Pharisee held a dinner party.  And the special guest that day was Jesus.  There was no fanfare with the arrival of Jesus, no red carpet. As he reclined at the table, an uninvited woman appeared beside him.  She crashed the event.  There was no attempt to remove this woman, and she went about her purpose for attending.  Her purpose was not for delicious food, or for the company, nor was it to hear Simon and Jesus discuss...