Pastor Luke preached from notes for this sermon. What has been posted are his notes plus comments from the congregation from social media.

Image of Doors for Being 101 and Why:
Doors are choices. Not all doors open to us.
Often we’re paralyized by choice. Dating is down. People are marrying later. Community group involvement and sports leagues are down.
“What if I pick the wrong one?” is a big fear in the face of all this choice.
Analysis paralysis.

Some doors closed to me. I’m a tall, white, straight, cis-gendered male. Can’t chose and not compelled to choose anything different. Yet I can’t make those doors favored for everyone. That’s the challenge of James.

-Go through James 2:1-10-

Warning against Partiality

2 My brothers and sisters, do not claim the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory while showing partiality. ² For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, ³ and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here in a good place, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit by my footstool,” ⁴ have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵ Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor person. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into the courts? ⁷ Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

⁸ If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well. ⁹ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

I think James was thinking of the Mark passage. It is one of the times Jesus shows favoritism but learns and changes.

The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

²⁴ From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre.^[a] He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, ²⁵ but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. ²⁶ Now the woman was a gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷ He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁸ But she answered him, “Sir,^[b] even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” ²⁹ Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” ³⁰ And when she went home, she found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone.

Some think Jesus can’t make a mistake. And that’s a fine translation, it’s one I was raised with. Yet I like the idea that he could. That here is the human Jesus showing through.
-long day teaching/preaching/healing/dealing with disciples
-just wants to rest
-woman throws herself at feet
-have you ever felt this way? had this happen? (toddlers)

Don’t show partiality. Easier said than done. I was feeling pretty tired and burnt out in the spring. More bitter than sweet. Want to be more sweet than bitter.

Therapist asked, “How do you want to show up to your church? Do you have a story for them?”

YES! THE REDWOODS.
Can’t tell you of the feeling: Verge of tears. Mouth agape in awe.
-22′ average width
-367′ average height (37 story building)
-Yet shallow roots

For redwoods to grow and thrive, they need community. Roots holding onto one another. Roots woven together to support such towering height.

Weave: The social fabric project by David Brooks.

Featured Country Side Community Church in Omaha, NE. Tri-Faith initiative.

What we hold in common is more than what we don’t. Love neighbor as yourself. Don’t favor your doors, you don’t know what pressures or reasoning went into another’s choices.

Let’s keep together, no matter the doors we choose or were given to us. We are imperfect and overinvolved… let’s choose to be rooted and loving here in this place… an example to the world.

Notes from the Congregation

Kristin:
1st : Redwoods are strong because they hold onto each other.
That one was powerful.
Also Matthew 15 21-25 lesson… Even dogs eat scraps from the kids’ table

Jaclyn: Redwoods – Roots aren’t deep but they hold one another up! Yes!

Vicki: “Interruption is an opportunity for ministry.”
“Are you kind to those who can do nothing for you?”

Jan: Holy Envy of other faith traditions. Honoring doors that aren’t yours.