But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also. (Matthew 5:39)
In today’s first reading we hear, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” Yet we know we cannot achieve perfection. Our attempts to love neighbors and even our enemies fall short of what God desires for us. Yet in Jesus we see one who loved even those who persecuted and killed him. We are made holy in baptism, and forgiven at the table of God’s mercy. As a people made holy by God, we go in peace to love as we have been loved.
Sunday’s Preaching Question:
Do You Turn the Other Cheek?
Our traditional worship Hymn of the Day O Praise the Gracious Power” lifts up the center of the Christian faith as the cross. In our New Day service, our closing hymn “We Want To See Jesus Lifted High” picks up the same theme.
Home Devotional Questions:
What does “turn the other cheek” mean to you in very practical terms?
How do you respond to hostility?
How do you point people to God’s grace, when they can only see judgment in their life?
Are Christians to be just doormats?
