SHADYSIDE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Gracious God, if stumbling is a characteristic of being a Gentile, then I have found my people. I stumble over conversations when I don’t have the right word to offer. I stumble because I have too many of my own burdens that I still refuse to leave at your feet. And I stumble over my eagerness that is more devoted to being seen as helpful than to actually helping. …

Lord Jesus, we are accustomed to hearing that we should judge our teachers and leaders by their own lifestyles. If there is something lacking in their lives, then we assume we can discount the teaching they offered. As is typical, you have other ideas. You never tether the legitimacy of the message with the integrity of the messenger. Instead, you place your holy gospel into very flawed, earthen vessels. …

So Jesus, two blind men were shouting, “Lord, have mercy on us.” Matthew tells us that you then “stood still,” which was certainly the beginning of the mercy they received from you. Most people probably just passed by them. But then you did something very odd when you asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” …

Gracious God, most of us are pretty good at forgiving the one-time offense. Maybe we are even good for two or three times. But you have called us to just keep forgiving. This would seem heroic until we remember that you invite us to forgive not for the sake of those who hurt us, but for the sake of our own souls. …

You came to us as the Son of Man and the Son of God. We have never understood this. If you came with only one identity, you would be much easier to manipulate. Had you just arrived as Son of Man, as this passage calls you, we would have enjoyed the empathy you offered, but that would have done nothing for our sin-filled predicament. …

Jesus, these words seem so severe. A Gentile woman asked you to heal her daughter, and you told her that it was unfair to take the food that was destined for the Jews and give it to us Gentile dogs. Really? The amazing thing about this passage is that the Gentile mother did not demand her rights to have a place at the table. …

Holy God, you know humanity better than we know ourselves. And so you are well acquainted with our preoccupation to divide ourselves into teams. If someone on another team does anything well, we are tempted to discount it because it didn’t come from our tribe, nation, or religion. This spiritual competitiveness is at least as old as the day when Cain rose up against Abel simply because you had regard for Abel’s offering. …

Lord Jesus, it is clear that you were not what John the Baptist was expecting. And he knew you better than we do. When John was in Elizabeth’s womb, he jumped for joy just to be in your presence after you were conceived in Mary’s womb. Clearly, you guys go way back. And yet, there was more to you than even John understood. …

Lord Jesus, how can the dead bury their dead? They themselves are dead, and dead people can’t do anything. Anyone who thinks about these words has to be confused. To make matters more perplexing, you said this to a disciple who just wanted to bury his father before he followed you wherever you were leading. But you essentially said, “No, follow me right now.”…

I wonder how many prison doors you have opened for us. But still we remain in our cramped cells of hurt, addiction, guilt, fear, resentment, or victimization. And yet you blew the doors to these cells wide open when you rolled back the stone to Christ’s tomb. In him, we too have been freed. …