Weekly Greeting - January 23, 2026
What’s the difference between mercy and justice?
That’s the question we’ll be exploring on Sunday morning when we gather for worship, which begs another question — how will we worship together on Sunday if the weather is bad? Yesterday you should have received an email letting you know that we are closely monitoring the weather and will provide updates on worship via the church website and social media. If you have been following the weather obsessively like I have, you’ll know that as of now nothing is certain. But we will be in communication with you leading up to Sunday morning.
If we are unable to gather in person, we will still go live from the parsonage at 10:15 a.m. on Facebook!
No matter where we are, we will still be exploring the difference between justice and mercy. If you want to prepare, I encourage you to read beyond the scriptures for Sunday. Rather than reading just Micah 6:6-8, go ahead and read Micah 6:1-8. And instead of reading only Matthew 23:23-24, read all of Matthew chapter 23. The setting of Matthew 23 is Passover in Jerusalem. He’s just days from being arrested and executed, and he is not holding back in his criticism of the religious leaders.
While he specifically calls out the scribes and the Pharisees, it is incumbent upon us as modern readers to remember that Jesus is not being critical of all scribes and Pharisees, nor is he condemning Jewish people. He’s not even calling for the elimination of religious teachers and administrators. He is simply reminding all of us that the news that we share has to be good news for all people.
What is the difference between justice and mercy? I hope that you’ll ponder that question as you prepare for worship!
Grateful to see you soon!
Mary Beth