One of my clergy colleagues always says "The church is in the loving business, not the judging business." I agree, but the truth is every one of us judges others in some way or another. We judge folks different than us, those with differing views, differing religions, ages, and statuses. We just folks by what new sources they follow, even if they are cat people vs dog people. Whether we want to admit it, it is easy for us to judge others, even if Jesus tells us not to.

As we continue to reflect upon the baggage that we carry and live into the invitation to put that baggage down, judgment weighs us down, just as the worry we talked about last week can. Though we might feel justified, judgment can often lead to brokenness and tension, which can build walls instead of bridges.

This message wrestles out what it means that we don't always follow Jesus' directive, but more importantly, what might holy, righteous judgment look like, which might consider God's love for all, as well as accountability for one another and the world.

How do we tend to judge the folks around us? When have we felt judged by others? Most importantly, how does faith affect our judgments of others, as well as others judging us?