Unlike the first party, the second comes about in a more surprising context. A pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda (or Bethzatha) was a public gathering place for people who needed some type of physical healing. There was a spring underneath the pool and when the spring would give off water, the water at the surface would bubble up. It was thought the first to enter the pool would experience healing when the bubbling occurred. One man who had illness with his leg for 38 years had tried and tried to be the first in the pool but was never successful. Jesus used the occasion to show the man there was no magic in the water. Rather Jesus was the spring of the water of life. No magic water would heal him, only the presence and power of Jesus can heal us from the pool of life that we find ourselves stuck.

To understand Jesus’ message to those present, we have to understand a little something about the type of party. To attend such a party was to endorse the person who threw the party. It was a big deal. People jockeyed to get the seats closest to the host and the honored guest. While he was there, Jesus told a story about another party. The host had gone out far and wide to send invitations. When it came time for the party, no one showed. It was an insult to the host. He directed his servants to go out and find anyone who would come. In the process, the servants gathered many less honorable guests. What Jesus’ story relates to us is Israel, God’s chosen people, refused God’s invitation to the party. In the process God opened the door to the rest of the world. Much like the non-Jewish folks of the day, we all find our selves in the position of whether we will respond to God affirmatively?

When times are tough, we all want Jesus to walk with us. But do we want to walk with Jesus, wherever he’s leading, wherever he’s working and calling us to go — everywhere, all the time? What does it mean to walk the narrow way with Him?

What Do You Do When You Have Been Done Dirty? Face it, we are humans. We tend to hurt others and we tend to be hurt by others. The question is “What do we do when we are hurt?” Join us as we look at a guy who certainly knew hurt in his life. David followed six steps in dealing with his hurt. He addressed his loss. He grieved the lost. He cleaned his wound. He guarded his mind. Compartmentalize his learning and he kept his heart open. Thus, when David had his opportunity, he was ready. Are we like David, ready to express the care and compassion of Jesus to a world of hurting people.

Brandon and Marley are in town this week and we scheduled Brandon to preach. On this hot, summer Sunday we’ll be turning to an action-packed chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in order to truly understand what it means to surrender, have faith, and follow Him.

It is Father’s Day so we will recognize our dads and those special men in our lives who have influenced us. But I also want to share some thoughts for our dads and anyone who has had a father. That means all of us. There were many times Jesus said, “You have heard it said… but I tell you…” Like the people of Jesus’ day we like to make things concise and easy to remember. There are times that can be good and other times we need to remember not to throw out the baby with the bath water. We will look at some examples of this and discuss how we might do better.