Mark 2:15–16

The love of God in Christ Jesus covers a multitude of sin. We need to filter all things through the lens of His love for His creation and He shows no partiality.

And the greatest of these is LOVE…

1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Father, You are a beautiful and masterful Creator. We see Your hand in the sunrise, in the colors of a coral reef. We hear You in the song of birds and the laugh of a child. We feel Your warmth in the rays of springtime; we smell Your goodness after a summer rain, and we taste Your imagination in spices like cinnamon and in blackberries picked fresh from the bush. You speak Truth in artistry and creativity. Help us catch a glimpse of You today. In Jesus' name, amen. First5

 “If God is the ground of being, then the only way I can worship God is by having the courage to be all that I can be. The more deeply I can be all that I can be, the more I can make God visible.” John Shelby Spong

Scripture urges us “keep in step with the Spirit.” He directs and leads, we obey and follow. Plug in to his power, and leave the switch turned on. Max Lucado

We don’t know the answers. But we do know that we have the capacity to ask the right questions, and find light and hope even in the cracks. 

Today, I took comfort in these readings...
“If God is a source of love, then the only way I can worship God is by loving, loving wastefully. I mean the kind of love that never stops to calculate, never stops to wonder whether the object of its love is worthy to its recipient. It is love that loves not because it has been earned. That’s where I think God is made visible.  Terry Hershey ”Sabbath Moments”

Mark 2:15–16

15 Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. 16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”

In the Gospels, this term is generally used for people who are considered sinful by Jewish leaders. While certainly many of these people were involved in habits, lifestyles or occupations that led to unrighteous behavior, the label seems to be applied primarily to distinguish between those who were considered pious and those who were not. Jesus’ ministry was often focused on outsiders, including this group of people. Faithlife Bible.

Levi, also called Matthew, was Jewish, but he collected taxes for Rome. The Jews hated tax collectors. They had a reputation for taking more than they needed in order to add to their own wealth.

In this instance Jesus was speaking tongue-in-cheek when He used the word righteous. None are righteous, though some, such as the Pharisees, fancied themselves as such. Instead, Christ came to call sinners to repentance. Jesus did not condone the activities of sinners, but required repentance—a change of mind that recognizes the need of a Savior and recognizes Jesus Christ as the only Savior. NKJ Bible.