Today, the word of God given to us is from Luke 7:36-50. I will read it for you.
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment. And standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher." "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little." And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?" And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Amen.
I have been visiting small groups continuously, and one of the things I have been grateful for is the opportunity to meet and fellowship with many of the congregation members closely. When I meet you all during worship, it feels different from when I meet you in a small group setting where we can share stories and learn more deeply about the lives and faith of the congregation members. Among those experiences, I was particularly thankful to realize that many of our members are seriously contemplating their faith. In one small group, a member earnestly asked me about what it means to believe. Since there is limited time in small groups, I told them I would discuss it later. Hearing that question led me to two thoughts. First, I was grateful that our members do not take their faith lightly or assume it is just a given. They are genuinely pondering, "Do I really believe? What does it mean to believe?" The second thought was that it would be good to share what the Bible says about faith together with our congregation. So, today’s passage is a great text for that discussion.
