Grace for All

In Matthew’s Gospel, Chapters 24 and 25, Jesus is teaching his disciples and telling parables. Our scripture for today tells one such parable and clearly emphasizes how we should treat strangers in need. Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV) “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate t...

Luke 6:32-36 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, a...

John 13:34–35 (CEB) “I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.” In a world divided by politics, denominations, and doctrinal disagreements, we often look for ways to distinguish who’s “in” and who’s “out.” Is it the way we baptize? The name on the chu...

1 Corinthians 10:24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. Several years ago, I was heading up a USAID project in Southern Africa and I found myself in Mozambique at an agricultural experiment station. The grant I had contained little room for unplanned expenses. But with that...

Isaiah 58:2, 4, 7 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. (Isaiah 58:2) Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on...

Luke 3:9-11 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same." (Luke 3:9-11) I volunteer at a local non-profit called Good Neighbors. We provide...

Luke 10:25-29 (NIV) 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You hav...

Matthew 13:31-32 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” So many sermons and commentaries focus on how small and insignificant a mustard seed appears, but...

Isaiah 43:18-19 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." We live in a world where every day we are bombarded with sounds and images of new things. Often, they are images of violence and destruction. It is easy to forget that some things in our world...

John 19:28-30 (ESV) After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. When Jesus said, in verse 30, it is finished...

Welcome to a special bonus episode of the Grace for All podcast. With this episode, we are stepping out of our normal format to bring you this 25-minute reflection by Herb Sadler. In it Herb takes us deeply into one of Jesus' most famous stories: the Parable of the Good Samaritan. We hope you enjoy this episode. The Christian faith comes down to the great commandment. If you distill it, the essenc...

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. A very wealthy man publicized that he was willing to pay a substantial price to the artist who could best illustrate the presence of peace. Several artists submitted pictures depicting sunsets, lazy rivers, and serene landscapes, but none of those were what he was looking for. One day he came across...

Isaiah 42:9-10 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth! Isaiah 42:1-9 is often referred to as the first of the Servant Songs. Early in the history of the Christian church these songs became associated with the life, ministry and death of Jesus. God, throu...

Psalm 30:5 (NIV) For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. This verse is part of a Psalm that is a direct conversation with God. It moves from the emotions of dismay, despair and wailing to dancing, joy and praise. The Psalmist moves from the realm of death to renewed life and hope in the Lord. We all have...

Mark 4:30-32 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” A tiny seed growing to gr...

Romans 5:15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Adam Jesus Christ Dust and breathe to dust The Word incarnate, eternal Sin Grace Broken Unbreakable Selfish sin Grace-filled sacrifice and forgiveness Take and take and take Free...

Luke 4: 16-21 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that...

John 13:34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34) To love others seems so easy. A statement we hang on our walls or draw into notebooks surrounded with red hearts. However, when God calls us to love, he doesn’t always mean easy love. Love that comes natural to others who look, talk, act and love like us. That’s simple love. That’...

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full ar...

Joel 2:12 -13 CEB Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your hearts, with fasting, with weeping, and with sorrow; tear your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, very patient, full of faithful love, and ready to forgive. The Prophet Joel was tired of the shallow faith he saw in the lives of the people around him. Theirs was a...

Matthew 5:44 NIV But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Jesus said these words in His sermon on the Mount, and he emphasized this command again in Matthew 6:14-15: “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Forgiving is very importa...

1 Peter 4:8 (First Nations Version) Above all, never stop loving each other, for like a warm blanket love covers a great number of broken ways. The comforting warmth a blanket can give on a chilly day or a cold night is something we all have enjoyed since we came into the world. Babies are swaddled, children are tucked under comforters, and adults sometimes enjoy the warmth of quilts made by famil...

Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Sometimes I think we have completely forgotten how to be humble. So I asked myself, what does it mean to be humble? I looked it up, and I reviewed the etymology, “from the ground, i.e., humus.” For the language lovers listening—how mundane. But on the other hand, how profound. From the dirt, just like ever...

Welcome to the Saturday episode of the Grace for All podcast. Thank you for joining us today. Saturday is a special time when we take a few moments to review the scriptures that we have cited in the episodes this week. If you missed any of those episodes, you might want to consider listening to them today. And even if you heard them all, there may be one that you might want to listen to again. We...

Proverbs 17:17 (CEB) Friends love all the time, and kinsfolk are born for times of trouble. Friendship is an easy word to use when life is calm. It becomes harder to define when circumstances change, and the structures that once held relationships in place fall away. Over more than twenty years of caring for our disabled daughter, I’ve learned that some relationships fade not because people are un...