For the sake of the world

Reflection for the 2nd week after Pentecost

From this week's Gospel reading:

³⁵Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. ³⁶When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  (Matthew 9:35-36)

...think of this:

Surely we as well as our neighbors are among the harassed and helpless that Jesus sees, those with “every disease and every sickness.” But, as the baptized, we are also those to whom Jesus has committed his mission, and we have often failed. Nonetheless, God says, “I have brought you to myself.” Because of Jesus Christ, forgiveness and love have been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Just as the Twelve stand for the Israelites, called to be a people of priests for all the world, we too are given the charge to pray for all and to bear witness to the healing love of God, all of us together Christ’s priestly people for the sake of the world.

From the ELCA Worship Blog