Luke 7:36-50
Matthew 25:35-40
“The Good News Is…Great Love for God & Neighbor”
Preached Sunday, March 1, 2026
We are on the second week of our Good News Lent.
Lent is the six weeks before Easter, 40 days plus Sundays, that lead us up to the Resurrection of Christ. In the early church, Lent was a time for converts to Christianity and those who had strayed from the Church, to focus or re-focus on the core tenets of the Gospel message, to be baptized or re-join the Christian community come the celebration of Easter. It was - and is - also a season of fasting, penitence, and prayer.
And this Lent, we are taking a slightly different Lenten journey. We are still preparing for the Celebration of the Resurrection by focusing on the Gospel message. We are focusing on core tenets of our faith. And I am encouraging fasting and prayer for wherever and however it is life-giving for each of you. The difference is, we are breaking from the often somber and serious attitude of Lent, in favor of one that takes literally that the Gospel means Good News and that Good News is as the angels proclaimed at the birth of Jesus - Good News of great joy for all people!
We live in a world where people are thirsty for good news - both the everyday kind and the Gospel of Jesus Christ kind. Unfortunately what is often packaged and sold as the Good News of Christ Jesus often fails to actually be “good” news - a “Gospel” that is exclusive, limiting, controlling, shaming, hateful is not the Good News of Jesus Christ.
And so this Lent our sermon series is, “Tell Me Something Good: Grounding Ourselves in the Good News this Lent.” And so today’s Good News is one of the core tenets, perhaps THE core tenet of the Gospels: Great love of God & neighbor.
I’ve preached on this many times before. I will preach on this countless times in the future. If I could preach but one sermon in life it would be this - Love of God & neighbor as self is central to the Good News of the Gospel.
And we must all become evangelists of that Gospel. To be clear, I did not just say we should all become evangelicals which is its own branch of Christianity right now. No, no one owns the term evangelist because it means one who brings Good News. The Good News of the Gospel at its core is that God loves us. God loves me. God loves you. God loves all. It is as it says in John 3:16, that God so loved the world that God sent us Jesus to know that love for all eternity. We are all called to carry this Good News of God’s love to all we meet…
But. And. No one will care that a God they can’t see loves them if the people they can see who are the representatives of God on this earth don’t love them first. And if it is not just not-love that Christians share but indifference, disdain or hate - they will run away from our loving God as fast as they can.
And so, we must all be evangelists - bearers of the Good News of God’s love - and that means loving God and loving neighbor. It means we show God’s love with, to, and for others and all when we love them - and when we love others, when we love our neighbors, we too are loving God.
With this in mind, let us look to our Scripture this morning of the unnamed woman washing Jesus’s feet with her hair. A slight caveat, in the Gospel of John this story happens at a different place in the life of Jesus - before his crucifixion and burial - in John that woman is named Mary although not Mary Magdalene as many assume. In Luke, this is smack dab in the middle or even closer to the beginning of Jesus’s ministry. The woman is unnamed and identified solely as a sinner.
And so Jesus is eating at the house of Simon, a Pharisee. Now, although Simon invited Jesus in to eat, it appears he was not a good host of Jesus. A good host would have offered Jesus water to wash his feet - dusty from the roads. A good host would have offered Jesus oil to anoint his head with - relief from the heat of the day. A good host would have offered Jesus the kiss of welcome - as was customary at the time. Simon offers Jesus none of these things.
And then in comes this woman who is marked solely as a sinner. Often when women are named as sinners in the Bible, generations of misogyny cause us to assume they were prostitutes - although, in this case, I do believe that is an inference that Luke wants us to make. And she washes Jesus feet with her tears and hair, anoints him with oil, kisses him. What she does is offer the hospitality, the acts of loving welcome, that Simon himself neglected. Albeit in a different way - a more extravagant, bold, loving way.
And Simon, the text says “he says to himself” - we may take this to mean under his breath but the Greek implies more that he thought this to himself, that “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” It is at this point that Jesus says, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” In a twist of irony, Jesus is a prophet and he knows what Simon is thinking here - and/or perhaps Simon’s judgement was written all over his face.
And so Jesus tells Simon something. He tells Simon that she is the one who showed him great love. The term used for great love here is the same used in Matthew when Jesus gives the second greatest commandment “love your neighbor as yourself.” This woman has shown great love to God who was her neighbor Jesus.
This story may cause us to pause and ask ourselves - who are we often more like? Simon, who neglected to show great love to his guest and judged his neighbor? Or the woman to whom much had been given and showed extravagant bold love without regard for her own self image? And which one was the evangelist - the bearer of the Good News of the Gospel?
Which brings us, briefly, to our second Scripture lesson of the day - the famous, beautiful, and convicting Matthew 25 passage. It is worth repeating: “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’”
Mathew 25 tells us that not only are we to love our neighbors through actions of compassion and mercy, it tells us that when we love our neighbors, we are loving God God’s self. God is the least of these. T. Denise Anderson offers this beautiful commentary on this Scripture: “Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus uses diminutive language to refer to people of importance and describes small, humble things (like sheep, lilies, and sparrows) as precious. He uses a mustard seed in a parable about faith, and tells his disciples to be like children. For Matthew’s Jesus, little is a big deal! For that reason, we should pay attention to Jesus’ use of the word “least” in this text. In a book where Jesus talks about little things being loved, the word “least” here takes on new meaning: most loved. Indeed, God loves everyone, but there are certainly those for whom God has a special affinity.”
Matthew 25 tells us that the two greatest commandments - to love God and to love neighbor as self are indeed inseparable. They are not different items on a to-do list, they are not different boxes we can check, they are one and the same. We love God when we love our neighbors. When we love our neighbors, we are loving God.
And above all - we can do all this because God loves us. God does not look at us and label us purely as sinners. God does not look upon us with cruel judgement. God offers forgiveness, grace, and love to every single one of us - even and especially - the least of these. Even to Simon, I believe Jesus leaves the door open to him - now that Simon’s neighbor has shown him an example of love, forgiveness, and hospitality - will Simon better love his neighbor and in turn better love God?
This is the Good News that we receive and that we are called to be evangelists to bear to others: God loves you and you can know God loves you through my actions of love towards you, my neighbor.
I am going to leave you today with this poem by The Rev. Sarah Speed entitled, “If God Lived Next Door.”
“If God lived next door,
I’d drop off a loaf of bread.
I’d use my mom’s best recipe.
I’d wrap it in parchment and ribbon
and place it on the front stoop.
If God lived next door,
I’d leave a note with my phone number.
Call anytime you need anything!
I’m always happy to help!
If God lived next door,
I’d keep sugar on the shelf,
just in case she needed a cup.
I’d put a picnic table in the front yard
and begin taking my coffee there.
Whenever God passed by with their gaggle of rescue dogs,
I could say, Want to sit for a moment? Want to rest your legs?
I’d keep a jar of dog treats and water by the mailbox
and change my doormat to one that says:
All are welcome here.
I’d invite God over for dinner.
[He’d] bring bread and juice.
I’d host a block party,
so that everyone could meet [him].
I’d start a community garden
so that the kids could run between rows of squash and tomatoes
while we adults put our hands in the dirt.
We’d share stories while we weeded,
and eat harvest meals at the end of the season.
If God lived next door,
I’d want to build something beautiful.
Then again,
who says [God] doesn’t?”
Amen.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
"You're Invited" a sermon on Luke 14:15-23, Youth Retreat
Luke 14:15-23
"You're Invited"
Preached Saturday, February 28, 2026 at Youth RetreatI want to start tonight off by sharing a poem with you entitled, “The Gospel According to Mrs. Farnell’s Pre-K Class” by the Rev. Sarah Speed. It goes:
“In Pre-K the whole class gets an invite to Tommy’s birthday.
He places the paper invites in our cubbies. There’s a helter-skelter sticker
sealing each one, proof that tiny hands did the work. So we,
the members of Mrs. Farnell’s Pre-K class, arrive at the park on Saturday.
We arrive whether or not we’ve ever built a sandcastle with Tommy.
We arrive whether or not we’ve ever shared half of our PB&J at lunch.
We arrive at the park on Saturday, with pigtails and balloons,
because we were invited.
And together we play tag, and we eat birthday cake, and we run barefoot in the grass.
Together, we sing Happy birthday to youuuuuu, so excited we can barely stand still.
Together, we momentarily forget that Chloe never gets picked for Red Rover and that Quinn cried in class last week, because the park is not the playground and everyone was invited.
And when we load into our cars at the end of the day, with grass-stained knees, chocolate frosting on our faces, and the awareness of inclusion, we say to our parents, This was the best day of my life.”
Our Scripture lesson tonight was also about invitations extended for a party. We heard a parable of a banquet feast where those invited did not accept the invitation - those who would have been on equal social standing, or even friends with, with the host of the party make up excuses of other things to do. They will not be attending dinner.
That’s kind of, well, sucky. Imagine you were throwing a party and you invited those closest to you and they came up with lame excuses like, “I can’t come - I have to plan what college I’m going to go to.” (And college is like - years from now). Or if they said, “I can’t come - I just got a new puppy and I want to play with him.” or “I’m going to hang with my new boyfriend instead.” That might hurt your feelings that your friends were choosing to do things that weren’t necessary to do right then or hang with people or animals just to hang - not a special planned party.
And the host is angry about this. Perhaps his feelings are hurt. But he doesn’t cancel the party. He just decides to invite more people. And so the invitation is extended - to the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. Those who would have been considered - and often still are considered - the last and the least. The invitations, however, do not stop there. After that, the host then tells his servant to go into the streets and compel anyone and everyone - any who will accept the invitation - to come in and feast.
So often our invitations to the tables we sit at, the parties we throw (and now I am talking metaphorical not just literal), look like the first round of invitations the host sent out - invitations to those of the same social standing or sphere, those in our “groups”. So often our tables are full of people who look, act, and think just like us. This is not the Good News of the Gospel.
The Good News of the Gospel looks a lot more like that Preschool Birthday party. The Good News of the Gospel looks like inviting all.
And sometimes, all, starts with you. Each and every one of you, here, as individuals, is invited by Jesus to know him and be included in the big party.
In the United Methodist Church we believe in something called prevenient grace - and maybe you’ve heard that term if you’ve already gone through confirmation and maybe you’ll hear more about it in the future - but basically it’s this idea that from the moment each and every one of us is born, God is extending love to us. God is whispering in our ears, “hey! I’m right here! Hey! I want to be in relationship with you! I want you to get to know me! Hey! I love you!” From the moment each and everyone of us is born, God is inviting us. And this is happening constantly, consistently, every single moment of our lives whether we realize it or not.
God is always whispering in your ear, “I love you. Accept my invitation to get to know me.”
All of your names are on the invite list.
Actually, everyone’s name is. That doesn’t make your personal invite less special, it just makes the eventual party - both in this life which is the community of Christians, the Church, and in the next life, that big wedding feast, that much better.
So look - Jesus has made the invite list - everyone, full stop, no exceptions - and Jesus is doing the inviting work through the Spirit whispering love into our ears and… we are called to amplify God’s invitation of love to one another.
That means, just as we are invited by God, we are called to invite others - to know Jesus and to be a part of the Church which is the community of people who know Jesus and follow him.
Let’s parse that last sentence out into two parts - first - we are called to invite others to know Jesus.
When we come to accept Jesus’s invitation of love for us, it can completely change our lives. Maybe not our outer lives - like who our family is or what our day to day life is like - but it does change our inner lives. When John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, accepted an invitation of God’s love, truly believed that God loved him, he said his heart was strangely warmed. This strange warmness is a defining characteristic of our lives with God. That no matter what we are going through, no matter what is happening in the world around us, God’s strangely warm love for us is always there. There is also a safe person to go to in Jesus. There is always hope to be found. As followers of Jesus, we know this to be true!
And we are not meant to keep this strange warmness, this knowledge of love, the safety of Jesus’s presence, the hope that springs forth - to ourselves. We are meant to share it. To invite others to experience it.
Okay, so I’ve been talking for awhile now. Let’s talk about this. Like I’m going to throw a question out and it would actually help me a lot if you answered, if we turned this next part of the sermon into a kind of conversation. But we want to hear everyone so don’t all talk at once.
How can you share the warmth of God’s love with others? How can you invite them into a relationship with Jesus?
Actually, everyone’s name is. That doesn’t make your personal invite less special, it just makes the eventual party - both in this life which is the community of Christians, the Church, and in the next life, that big wedding feast, that much better.
So look - Jesus has made the invite list - everyone, full stop, no exceptions - and Jesus is doing the inviting work through the Spirit whispering love into our ears and… we are called to amplify God’s invitation of love to one another.
That means, just as we are invited by God, we are called to invite others - to know Jesus and to be a part of the Church which is the community of people who know Jesus and follow him.
Let’s parse that last sentence out into two parts - first - we are called to invite others to know Jesus.
When we come to accept Jesus’s invitation of love for us, it can completely change our lives. Maybe not our outer lives - like who our family is or what our day to day life is like - but it does change our inner lives. When John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, accepted an invitation of God’s love, truly believed that God loved him, he said his heart was strangely warmed. This strange warmness is a defining characteristic of our lives with God. That no matter what we are going through, no matter what is happening in the world around us, God’s strangely warm love for us is always there. There is also a safe person to go to in Jesus. There is always hope to be found. As followers of Jesus, we know this to be true!
And we are not meant to keep this strange warmness, this knowledge of love, the safety of Jesus’s presence, the hope that springs forth - to ourselves. We are meant to share it. To invite others to experience it.
Okay, so I’ve been talking for awhile now. Let’s talk about this. Like I’m going to throw a question out and it would actually help me a lot if you answered, if we turned this next part of the sermon into a kind of conversation. But we want to hear everyone so don’t all talk at once.
How can you share the warmth of God’s love with others? How can you invite them into a relationship with Jesus?
(Receive answers from youth)
Yeah, those are a lot of good ways. I think it’s a mixture of our words and our actions. Some people only use actions - and while it’s great to show kindness and love to others, they may never know that Jesus is the reason behind them if you don’t tell them. And some people only use words - but those words won’t have much weight unless they are backed up by actions of love.
Okay - so that’s inviting others to know Jesus. Now let’s talk about inviting others to church.
The Church, which is made up of people like you and me, is one of the many ways people experience God’s love in this world. The Church community it’s meant to be a safe and welcoming space for all to experience the love of Jesus.
Now…you may notice I said it’s “meant” to be. Because we are human and sometimes we get it right and sometimes we get it wrong.
Sometimes the church is full of fighting and bickering.
Sometimes the church is not welcoming of all the people that Jesus would invite - because of their race, or the language they speak, or what country they were born in, or if they’re LGBTQ, or, or or…
Sometimes the church…just gets it wrong.
Which is often why people want nothing to do with it. They think, “Why would I want to be a part of that?”
Now - God has been whispering an invitation of love in their ear since the moment they were born. And God will keep on doing that.
And. It’s up to us to show them how the Church, the community of people who God, can be a safe and loving place for all people - and we can make it so.
Let’s do that things where I ask you all questions again - So let’s imagine you were throwing a party and all sorts of different types of people were going to be invited - people of different ages, people with different needs and abilities, people with different dietary restrictions, people with different hobbies, etc etc - how could you be good host and make everyone feel welcome? Give examples.
(Get answers from youth)
You’ve all thought of it exactly.
Whether people work, have kids, or are in school would influence the time of the party. And what kind of party it is! You don't break out the fancy breakable plates when there are going to be little ones running around. If someone has an infant, you might even consider opening up another room for them as a quiet place to care for their child. Or even...helping arrange childcare. Or, what if someone was in a wheelchair or just had surgery...the venue would need to be considered to make sure it's accessible and there is room at the table. And consider the food too. We always do as Methodists, don't we? Maybe someone has allergies or is vegan or vegetarian. Maybe someone doesn't eat a specific food because of their cultural background. When you are planning for a dinner party, a good host takes the guest list into mind when cooking. Cause you want everyone to feel welcomed at the table. If you don't think of your guests then when they arrive you can't suddenly change the menu or short order cook. No, you prep and plan to make it a place and a time where all are welcomed at the table. If you have a reputation of being a host who isn't prepared to welcome all - those with different life experiences, those with kids, those with disabilities - whatever it is. When they get the invitation, they're not going to come. They're going to say "oh. This isn't really for me." Think how much more it is for the church instead of a party. We can be the change in our church communities to help them be places where all are welcomed and celebrated.
Now God's table, this table, the Communion table, the feast at the heavenly banquet, God’s table - that table is already open to ALL. God has made it so. God has the guest list and each and everyone of us is invited - just as if it was a preschool party. And here in the United Methodist Church we strive to reflect that openness of God's table by saying that all are welcome at our table - you don't have to be a United Methodist, you don't have to be a member of a specific church...you only have to want to be at the table with God. Cause Jesus won't turn anyone away, there is truly a seat for all. God wants us and everyone of us to come to this table and walk away grinning and smiling, saying This was the best day of my life!
So as we consider invitations tonight -
Remember, God is always and ever, from the moment of your birth - extending an invitation of love to you.
The invitation of love is also going to everyone else in our lives and the world - we can help amplify that invitation by inviting people to know Christ and the Church - and helping make that church a truly safe place for all.
And tonight - you are being invited to this table, to experience God’s love for you, and let it warm your heart. Amen.
Yeah, those are a lot of good ways. I think it’s a mixture of our words and our actions. Some people only use actions - and while it’s great to show kindness and love to others, they may never know that Jesus is the reason behind them if you don’t tell them. And some people only use words - but those words won’t have much weight unless they are backed up by actions of love.
Okay - so that’s inviting others to know Jesus. Now let’s talk about inviting others to church.
The Church, which is made up of people like you and me, is one of the many ways people experience God’s love in this world. The Church community it’s meant to be a safe and welcoming space for all to experience the love of Jesus.
Now…you may notice I said it’s “meant” to be. Because we are human and sometimes we get it right and sometimes we get it wrong.
Sometimes the church is full of fighting and bickering.
Sometimes the church is not welcoming of all the people that Jesus would invite - because of their race, or the language they speak, or what country they were born in, or if they’re LGBTQ, or, or or…
Sometimes the church…just gets it wrong.
Which is often why people want nothing to do with it. They think, “Why would I want to be a part of that?”
Now - God has been whispering an invitation of love in their ear since the moment they were born. And God will keep on doing that.
And. It’s up to us to show them how the Church, the community of people who God, can be a safe and loving place for all people - and we can make it so.
Let’s do that things where I ask you all questions again - So let’s imagine you were throwing a party and all sorts of different types of people were going to be invited - people of different ages, people with different needs and abilities, people with different dietary restrictions, people with different hobbies, etc etc - how could you be good host and make everyone feel welcome? Give examples.
(Get answers from youth)
You’ve all thought of it exactly.
Whether people work, have kids, or are in school would influence the time of the party. And what kind of party it is! You don't break out the fancy breakable plates when there are going to be little ones running around. If someone has an infant, you might even consider opening up another room for them as a quiet place to care for their child. Or even...helping arrange childcare. Or, what if someone was in a wheelchair or just had surgery...the venue would need to be considered to make sure it's accessible and there is room at the table. And consider the food too. We always do as Methodists, don't we? Maybe someone has allergies or is vegan or vegetarian. Maybe someone doesn't eat a specific food because of their cultural background. When you are planning for a dinner party, a good host takes the guest list into mind when cooking. Cause you want everyone to feel welcomed at the table. If you don't think of your guests then when they arrive you can't suddenly change the menu or short order cook. No, you prep and plan to make it a place and a time where all are welcomed at the table. If you have a reputation of being a host who isn't prepared to welcome all - those with different life experiences, those with kids, those with disabilities - whatever it is. When they get the invitation, they're not going to come. They're going to say "oh. This isn't really for me." Think how much more it is for the church instead of a party. We can be the change in our church communities to help them be places where all are welcomed and celebrated.
Now God's table, this table, the Communion table, the feast at the heavenly banquet, God’s table - that table is already open to ALL. God has made it so. God has the guest list and each and everyone of us is invited - just as if it was a preschool party. And here in the United Methodist Church we strive to reflect that openness of God's table by saying that all are welcome at our table - you don't have to be a United Methodist, you don't have to be a member of a specific church...you only have to want to be at the table with God. Cause Jesus won't turn anyone away, there is truly a seat for all. God wants us and everyone of us to come to this table and walk away grinning and smiling, saying This was the best day of my life!
So as we consider invitations tonight -
Remember, God is always and ever, from the moment of your birth - extending an invitation of love to you.
The invitation of love is also going to everyone else in our lives and the world - we can help amplify that invitation by inviting people to know Christ and the Church - and helping make that church a truly safe place for all.
And tonight - you are being invited to this table, to experience God’s love for you, and let it warm your heart. Amen.
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