When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”  Jesus replied, “Go back and tell John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor …” (Mathew 11:2-5).

Not to the wealthy.

Not to the powerful.

Not to the strong.

All through this verse, we have seen Jesus giving to those that society ignored.  Now he caps it off by giving everything to those with nothing.

His message?  Oh, I know you know it, but hear it again.  Drink it in—you can never get enough of this:

God loves you. You, who feel so helpless…useless…

Worthless.

The God of Everything loves you enough to sacrifice the dearest part of himself, to know pain and shame and loneliness that he never earned, so that he could be with you.

Always

That, Beloved, is worth getting up on a Thursday for.