Instead of inviting people to focus on fasting during Lent, this parable invites us into a communal feast. The host of the party sends a servant to search the city to bring people in. Too many guests deny the invitation. Yet, the host’s invitation is persistent. They search high and low for the vulnerable and hungry to accept the invitation. As guests are gathered in, the miracle is that there is still room. There is more love available, if only we are present to accept it. The service includes communion.

Luke 14:15-24

This week we focus on the subversive and playful nature of the good news. The kin-dom of heaven is so good it should catch us by surprise! As we sink into Jesus’ teachings throughout the season, we may not always be comfortable, but we can trust that these teachings are good, rooted in love, and worthy of celebration.

John 2:1-11; Matthew 13:31-32

Simon and some Pharisees host a dinner for Jesus and an unexpected guest arrives: a woman from the city who kneels at Jesus’ feet and washes him with expensive perfume. Simon scoffs at this, but Jesus asks him to see that she has shown “great love.” The woman exemplifies the greatest commandment: to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Luke 7:36-50; Matthew 25:35-40

This week we focus on building networks of collective care in order to meet people’s needs. Jesus models a way to be in community by coming together and sharing what we have, dispelling perceived impossibilities. The good news empowers us to believe in the miracles that can become possible through the power of community.

Mark 6:32-44; Ephesians 3:20-21

When Jesus blesses a crowd of children, he once again reorients socially constructed hierarchies to center the vulnerable Jesus emphasized the last, the least, and the lost, building upon the mandates of the Hebrew Scriptures to care for the immigrant, widow, and orphan among you. If we’re truly living out the good news, then anyone vulnerable will not only be protected from harm, but cared for so they have the chance to thrive.

Matthew 19:13-15; Deuteronomy 24:17-22

While Jesus is teaching in the temple, some Pharisees interrupt to put both him and a woman caught in adultery on trial. Their questioning intensifies as they cite Mosaic Law and put the woman’s fate in Jesus’ hands. Instead of focusing on punishment, Jesus invites each person to consider their own sin; Jesus condemns no one. As we wrestle with our own rules, we should ask, “What is the most just and faithful interpretation?”

John 8:2-11; Matthew 23:23

Roman triumph usually occurred during the week of Passover as a show of Rome’s might. In contrast, Jesus’ march is for all the people—the hungry, the poor. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowd responds to Jesus’ authenticity and humility. Perhaps they can see past the pageantry of the Roman parade; in contrast, the goodness of Jesus’ leadership shines through. The energy is infectious, a climactic moment in the grassroots movement of Jesus’ ministry. What will the good news inspire us to do?

Mark 11:1-11

Knowing he is nearing the end, Jesus surrounds himself with his closest friends. Though he is very aware of who will betray him, he doesn’t exclude Judas or Peter from the table. In modern times, we might have canceled Judas, but Jesus chooses to care for him instead, offering him bread and cup and loving care. Jesus doesn’t define Judas by his worst act. If we put ourselves in Judas’ shoes, it really is good news that nothing can separate us from God’s love. We are not judged by our worst actions, which means we are called to extend grace to others too. The good news is that God’s radical, unstoppable love extends to all people—even to those who wrong us, even to us on our worst days.

John 13:1-35

Where is the good news on Good Friday? Jesus kisses the one who betrays him. In the fury of drawn swords, he offers healing. Jesus is stripped of all humanity, yet his actions reveal the good news of a peaceful God. The actions of others—the betrayals, the violence—reveal who we are at our worst. The Passion narrative tears down any facade. The good news is Jesus’ ministry is not defeated by death—it is only interrupted.

Luke 22:47-53; Luke 23:33-38, 44-46

Death cannot stop the good news. It is alive, unbound, and wild in the world. Even in the face of death, it will not be buried or silenced. As we celebrate the good news of Easter, let us also go out seeking Christ in the faces of neighbors and strangers, and in the good works that are alive in this world.