Deacon Pete reflects on a difficult Father’s Day sermon prompted by Jesus’ harsh words about setting family members against each other, concluding that Jesus is not condemning fatherhood but redefining it under the kingdom of God, where even the sacred institution of family is subordinate. He explains that in Jesus’ time family meant economic survival, inheritance, and religious community, so following Jesus entailed profound social upheaval and sacrifice. He offers three examples: God’s care for sparrows and counting hairs portrays the reassuring, protective love of a good father; “losing life to find it” parallels a father’s sacrifices that bring deeper joy and purpose; and loving God above parents liberates believers from idealizing human fathers, opening a truer relationship with God. He acknowledges gratitude, grief, and pain associated with fathers, noting broken homes, and points to God as the perfect Father. He connects this to Eucharist, honoring fathers and forgiving shortcomings.00:00 Opening Prayer00:13 A Tough Fathers Day Text01:38 Family Then and Now02:39 Example One Gods Care03:51 Example Two Sacrifice04:34 When Fatherhood Hurts05:53 Example Three Loving God First07:41 Losing Life Finding Love

Mother Paige focuses on compassion in the lectionary readings, highlighting the Greek word “splagchnizomai,” Jesus’ gut-wrenching compassion for people “harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd,” an indictment of failed leadership. She describes Jesus commissioning the twelve to proclaim that the kingdom (or empire) of heaven has come near, contrasting this “good news” with Rome’s imperial “euangelion.” Noting that Matthew’s Missionary Discourse spans three weeks and that Matthew never actually narrates the apostles being sent, she emphasizes discipleship as compassion in action—healing, restoring, and caring for those failed by systems. She points to the diverse community of disciples (including Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot), the initial focus on the lost sheep of Israel, and the boundaries of compassion (offering peace, leaving when necessary). Reading Romans through compassion, she stresses God meets suffering with transforming love that produces endurance, character, and hope through the Holy Spirit.00:00 Opening Prayer00:06 Choosing Compassion00:40 Splagchnizomai Explained01:53 Sheep Without Shepherd02:38 Commissioned to Heal03:01 Good News vs Rome04:47 Missionary Discourse Setup05:58 Discipleship in Action06:42 A Diverse Apostle Team08:01 Start With Our Own09:04 Boundaries of Peace09:47 Romans Hopeful Ending

Rev. Madeline opens with prayer and situates the sermon in the season after Pentecost and the lectionary’s journey through Matthew, where Jesus teaches the Kingdom of God through stories and metaphors. She imagines the Kingdom as a banquet or rowdy party already underway: after the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus welcomes the poor, mournful, hungry, persecuted, and others through healings that restore both bodies and social belonging. In Matthew 9, Jesus calls Matthew the tax collector to the table, heals a woman who has hemorrhaged for 12 years and been cast out as unclean, and risks becoming unclean to bring life to a synagogue leader’s dead daughter—“risks marginalization for resurrection.” The sermon emphasizes mercy, inclusion, and a holy banquet with a vast guest list where all are welcome.

00:00 Opening Prayer

00:20 Season After Pentecost

01:37 Kingdom Party Image

02:25 Healings Before Matthew

03:12 Matthew Joins Table

03:57 Hemorrhaging Woman Healed

04:56 Raising The Daughter

05:52 Healing And Inclusion

06:45 We Are Invited Too

07:33 All Are Welcome