June 12-18



To the Most Unlikely


Matthew 2:1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?  We saw his star in the east and we have come to worship him.”  When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.  When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where Christ was to be born.  “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.”  Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.  He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child.  As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”  After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star they were overjoyed.  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”

Matthew 8:5-13
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.  “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”  Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”  The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.  I tell this one. ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes.  I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”  When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.  I say to you that many will come from east and west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go, It will be done just as you believed it would.”  And his servant was healed at that very hour.”

This week we started a new sermon series based on the belief that we should be taking Jesus to our world.  This sermon series centers on the ways we need to be Christ’s messengers and ambassadors to our world.  This first week we are focusing on the fact that Jesus wants us to take the gospel to everyone and that includes the most unlikely people.  The scripture for this week gives us examples of how Jesus came for everyone, even the most unlikely.