journal entry

I wrote this in my journal this morning as I was reading matthew, and now I share it with you:

Jesus saw the tax collectors, the sinners, and the prostitutes as the beloved. And the Pharisees said to each other, "why does your teacher eat with the tax collectors and sinners?" This is so applicable to our current disspositions. Follow this: the verb in this question is crutial. The verb is "eat". Though eating is somethign that we must do everyday to be nourished, it is also very intimate. What if you told your friends or family, "I am going to do homeless ministry." They would praise you for your piety and pray for your mission. You talk and listen to the "sinners". Or what if you said, "I am going to do prostitute ministry." Maybe a similar response with a bit of hesitancy. But what if you said, "I'm going to fellowship, I'm going to eat with some homeless guys, or some prostitutes for the next couple of days." In one sentance, in one word, eat, you have broken the superficial facade. They would no longer say, "good for you", but rather, "shame on you." They would say, "I guess you forgot the verse about being in the world but not of the world." And what do you say? Maybe we should remember this: "Those who are well don't need a doctor, but the sick do. God and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners." And then maybe we should say, "I have a homeless friend living on the streets and I'm going to throw him a party because I have a feeling that he hasn't had a party in quite some time."

... Those were my writings from this morning. I don't mean to be judgmental with the general pronoun "they" that I use. But I think that you see what I am getting at ... basically do the fruits of our faith produce genuine love and care for these people? And if our fruits aren't true love and care, but rather false piety, from where does that fruit come? I ask myself these things often.

God bless, and thanks for the encouragament.

-Gus