Proper 7A + Soul friend + 6.21.26
M. Campbell-Langdell All Santos, Oxnard ( Genesis 21:8-21; Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17; Romans 6:1b-11; Matthew 10:24-39 ) Good morning! From today’s gospel reading: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it (Matthew 10:38-39).” Ah, Jesus. I thought following you was just about the peaceful life? Sometimes we wonder when we see passages like this one. Sometimes Jesus gets a bit punk rock, but it is mixed in with tenderness. In a few lines, we hear about Beelzebul, a demonic figure whom Jesus was compared to by those who misunderstood his ministry. Still, then we have the consolation that the hairs of our head are counted and that we are of more value than many sparrows, and then we hear him pulling out the meta...