Matthew 8:5-13

Matthew 8:5-13 
English Standard Version (ESV) 

  Much ink has been spilled over the debate about how Americans get their news.  The gist of the debate is that we often only consume news from sources that confirm what we believe to be true.  We don't readily engage with outside sources that challenge our assumptions.  We stick to news from what is safe.
  Jesus spent time challenging the Pharisees' assumptions. They had allowed what they thought they knew about God to be concrete and inflexible.  They had stopped trying to learn about how God was at work, because they thought they understood everything about how God worked.  Jesus confronted their inflexibility, and they became very defensive as a result. 
  Our religion should challenge us to continue to go to God in prayer and depend on the Holy Spirit to lead us.  Our prayer life should be part of our continued growth, and we should be looking for how God is calling us forward.  We always read Scripture to see how God is speaking through the Word of God, and we listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit calling us to engage in the world around us here and now.  We may find God speaking in unlikely places, from unlikely voices.  But let us not be afraid to listen and learn, and then to gather in community to ensure and confirm what we are hearing from the Spirit.  We listen independently and collectively, and God stretches us to proclaim the Gospel in today's world.