In Matthew 12, Jesus once again offers healing on the Sabbath day, and somehow the Pharisees have developed their devotion to God in such a way that healing is the last thing that should be done on “the Lord’s Day.”      Apparently, healing is not OK, but plotting murder is, for the Pharisees respond by getting together to figure out how to do Jesus in. Strange how we bend our relationship with God into religious practice that can stay shallow, self-serving, or downright unholy!      Jesus takes off, but crowds follow him and he goes ahead and heals many. He asks them not to make a big deal about it… and Matthew tells us it’s because Jesus is trying to fulfill the prophet Isaiah’s old proclamations about the Lord’s “Suffering Servant.” Matthew invites us to see how Jesus carries out the following words from Isaiah 42:       Look, my servant whom I chose, the one I love, in whom I find great pleasu...

Hi, friends! I am (now - as of July 2017) the pastor of First United Methodist Church in Downtown Albuquerque, NM. This blog will be a posting place for Pastor's "thoughts" for FUMC (and beyond, I hope), as well as a few random other things. Thanks for joining the journey! Blessed reading! -Jon