September 9, 2026 Midweek News
Conflict – nobody likes it, and nobody wants to talk about it! But Jesus did! Jesus brings up the reality of conflict with his disciples, hoping to guide them toward healing and serve as a witness to the world. We often read Jesus’s instruction about treating an unyielding neighbor or fellow church member like a Gentile and a tax collector as permission to excommunicate them or give the cold shoulder during a disagreement. But how did Jesus actually treat tax collectors and Gentiles?
He did not build a wall or shut the door. He invited a tax collector into his inner circle of friends, sat down at their tables for dinner, listened to their stories, and offered healing. In the upside-down Kingdom of God, reaching an impasse with someone does not mean writing them off. It means resetting our expectations and switching to a posture of unexpected hospitality. When our relationships hit a rough patch, Jesus calls us to widen the circle rather than shrink it.
Is there someone in your workplace, neighborhood, or family you have mentally written off? Take a moment to ask God to remind you of those relationships. How might Christ be inviting you to pull up a chair for them this week?
Blessings,
Pastor Jared