Toss of a Coin - Two sons were left a large piece of property by their father. For months they fought over how the land should be divided. Finally, they brought their problem to their pastor and asked him to help them solve it.
"Come back tomorrow," said the pastor, "and we'll talk."
The next day the sons returned, and the pastor gave them his solution.
"Toss a coin," he said to one of the brothers. "You call it, heads or tails," he said to the other.
"The one who wins the toss divides the land."
"That's no solution," said one of the brothers. "We're right back where we started from."
"Not so," said the pastor. "The one who wins the toss divides the land, but the other gets first choice."
The story's point is simple, like Jesus' hometown crowd, each brother was concerned only about himself, wanting to get the better of the other brother. The Israelites were accustomed to thinking only of themselves while disregarding those whom they considered unworthy of God's grace: the poor, the captives, and those who were being oppressed.
Our world is divided because nations and individuals see different people as not worth their time or concern. Jesus' sermon shouted that God cares about all people. There are no divisions; and to ignore those on the fringes of society is not part of God's plan for God's children. God wants to connect to all people, and it is the responsibility of God's children to share the good news of God's love and transforming grace with others, especially to those on the fringes of society.
Something to Ponder on the Lord's Day!
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