Focused on Mission....

Last night at Passages (Bible Study) we looked at Matthew's account of Jesus' encounter in the temple and with the religious leaders when he turned the tables and ran out the moneychangers. In the midst of this chaotic clash Jesus is having with the religious tradition and ritual of the day, is this line.. (v 14) "The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them."

Jesus' mission (found in Luke 4:18) is to 'bring good news to the poor, ... to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." In the midst of this chaotic time, Jesus remains focussed on his mission. And his mission is more important than the religious ritual and tradition of that day!

Same thing is true today! Yesterday, I attended a meeting of the churches in Salisbury that will host the cold weather emergency shelter for homeless men. I have been associated with this group for many years and Community of Joy has hosted men two years in a row and this will be our third year. The Dept. of Social Services person from the county was there and reported that they are seeing a marked increase in folks seeking assistance. Usually they see 100 people a month, they are currently averaging 400 people a month! Shortly after that sobbering report, a sister from a liturgical church complained that their time to host the shelter always falls in lent and it affects their ability to do their lenten programs. It was then pointed out that the shelter is a 12 week program and 6 of those weeks are lent! But still she was determined to change her weeks so that they could do their lenten things. Several of us around the circle voiced our thoughts that hosting the shelter feels like what we should be doing in lent. (kind of a modern re-enactment of the Matthew 21 account of Jesus in the temple!)

CoJ is only hosting one week this year at our site, but I am exploring an option to be part of a week using another site. There are three weeks still open and in need of hosts. The mission of Jesus is more than words or religious ritual or tradition, it is a call to each of us to care about loving others with God's love. It is a way of life!