Liturgy that Matters – February 16, 2020 – Matthew 5:21-37

Themes: Jesus takes common notions of how love is practiced and brings a radical edge to their interpretation. Pushing us to consider today what Grace Lee Boggs refers to as “two-dimensional transformation,” this text is an important reminder that our internal well-being and our external efforts for change cannot be separated from one another. We must tend to both with care and in ways that promote love through justice and healing. Equally, this text invites us to consider our own practices of tending our anger and to what authorities we are compelled to turn to when we feel vulnerable or threatened. Though the state is given to some as an option, communities of faith can offer alternative practices for approaching conflict resolution.