Flipping Tables

Dear Hope Friends,
As we continue to be distressed and horrified by our country's treatment of vulnerable people and countries, I want to acknowledge how difficult this week has been close to home, too. Sitting on the bleachers at a junior high volleyball game, I heard the whispered words of encouragement from the parents behind me as their 8th grade daughter sang the national anthem. At the end of the song, I turned to tell them what a great job she did, and the mom explained that she and Armoni (the 8th grader murdered in his home last Sunday) sang it together for every game. My goodness, the courage it took for their 13 year old to sing alone in a packed gym of grieving people! For all the reasons junior high is difficult, this is not supposed to be one of them.
As I've prepared for tomorrow's message focused on the scene where Jesus flips the tables in the Temple, it has not been difficult for me to get in touch with that kind of anger. Before we all just walk around in a rage, flipping every table we see, let's spend some time with this story. What was Jesus angry about, and how did (and didn't) he express it?
In It With You, Jennie
P.S. Our Everything in Between series starts with Ash Wed THIS week. 6-7:30pm: meal, short worship, and conversations.