Read the Red Words: When Faith Gets Simple Again

There’s a freedom that comes with getting older. One day, you wake up and realize you don’t care about things you used to lose sleep over. Your shoes don’t match your purse? Who cares. There are dishes in the sink overnight? They’ll be there tomorrow too. Somewhere along the way, you trade the need for perfection with a hunger for what really matters.

That’s what Reverend Jill Kaetzel talked about last Sunday at Noel United Methodist Church. Her sermon, titled “Read the Red Words,” wasn’t complicated. It wasn’t filled with theological jargon or deep scholarly analysis. It was simple. And that’s exactly why it struck a chord.

She opened by reading from Matthew 25:31-40. You’ve heard it before—the sheep and the goats. The King sitting on His throne, separating people not by their church attendance or political party, but by how they treated others. “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink…” It’s simple stuff. But we humans have a way of making the simple things complicated.

The “We Do Not Care Club”

Reverend Jill brought a bit of humor to the pulpit, showing a video from a woman who started a “We Do Not Care Club” for women going through perimenopause and menopause. It was funny and painfully relatable. Forgetting what you were talking about mid-sentence? Check. Not caring if the car is dirty? Check. Wanting to be left alone to take a nap? Double-check.

But the point was deeper than a good laugh. When we stop wasting emotional energy on things that don’t matter—like unshaved legs or mismatched outfits—we free up space in our hearts and minds for the things that do.

And that’s where the sermon shifted.

From “I Don’t Care” to “I Do Care”

Reverend Jill admitted that she almost named her sermon “I Do Not Care.” But that felt too negative. She flipped it to “I Do Care,” because the truth is, caring less about nonsense helps us care more about people.

She listed the things that weigh on her heart—the children who go to bed hungry, the elderly who spend their golden years in loneliness, the LGBTQIA+ individuals who fear rejection, the families crushed under the rising cost of living, the veterans who risk everything and still don’t get the care they deserve.

These are the things we ought to care about.

And isn’t that exactly what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 25? He didn’t mention how much scripture you’ve memorized or whether you tithe precisely 10%. He didn’t ask how perfectly you lived. He asked whether you loved. Whether you fed, welcomed, clothed, visited, and cared.

The Red Words That Simplify Faith

“Read the red words,” Reverend Jill kept saying.

In many Bibles, the words of Jesus are printed in red. It’s a visual reminder that these words—the direct teachings of Christ—are special. They’re not just words on a page; they’re life instructions from the Son of God Himself.

Reverend Jill reminded us that before Bibles were printed with red ink, scribes painstakingly copied scripture by hand. But in 1901, the red-letter Bible was born, making it easier for ordinary folks to spot Jesus’ teachings. Protestant churches loved it because it encouraged people to read the Bible for themselves.

But somewhere along the way, we got distracted. We debated theology, argued over church traditions, and built elaborate doctrines. We forgot that Jesus had already boiled it all down for us.

Love God.
Love others.

That’s it. That’s the Bible.

Loving God and Loving Others: The Foundation

If what we believe and what we do aren’t rooted in loving God and loving others, we’re on the wrong path. Reverend Jill didn’t sugarcoat it. She said plainly that too many people who call themselves Christians are some of the meanest people she knows. That hurts to hear, but it’s true.

We’ve all seen churches that spend more time condemning than loving. We’ve witnessed faith communities obsessed with who’s in and who’s out, who’s right and who’s wrong, while the hungry stay hungry and the lonely stay lonely.

Reading the red words cuts through all that noise. Jesus didn’t get caught up in religious debates for the sake of winning arguments. He loved people. He fed them, healed them, listened to them, stood up for them.

And He told us to do the same.

Sunday Morning: The Weekly Booster Shot

Reverend Jill also spoke about the importance of gathering together in worship. She described Sunday mornings as a booster shot for the week. Not in a “check the attendance box” kind of way, but as a community reset.

“Some weeks are a blessing, and some weeks are a struggle,” she said. “We need each other.”

That hit home. How often do we try to go it alone? How often do we think, “I’m too tired to go to church,” when maybe being in that community is exactly what our tired souls need? A smile. A hug. A reminder that we’re not carrying our burdens alone.

Church isn’t about perfect attendance; it’s about staying anchored. It’s about showing up for one another and remembering we’re part of a living, breathing body of Christ.

Action Words Require Action

Love God. Love others. Those are action words. They require us to move, to speak, to serve. Reverend Jill warned us against complacency. The idea that “someone else will do it” is a trap. Each of us is vital to the life of the church and the mission of Christ.

If we sit at home and stay silent, we’re not living out the red words.

If we only care about our small circle and ignore the hurting world, we’re missing the point of the gospel.

Jesus didn’t call us to be spectators. He called us to be doers.

Singing Joy to the World in July

As the sermon came to a close, Reverend Jill mentioned the closing hymn: “Joy to the World.” It’s a Christmas song, right? Not really.

Isaac Watts wrote the lyrics in 1719, based on Psalm 98, to celebrate Christ’s second coming, not His birth. Somewhere along the way, it became a December classic. But its true meaning is about anticipating the day when Christ reigns fully on Earth—a time when justice, peace, and love will be the norm.

So, singing it in July? It makes sense. Because the Kingdom of God isn’t just a future hope—it’s a present mission.

What Do You Really Care About?

When you strip away all the noise, what do you truly care about?

Not the trivial stuff. Not the “what will people think?” worries. But the real, deep, Jesus-type caring.

Do you care about the hungry?
The outcast?
The lonely?
The hurting?
The stranger at your door?

If you’re not sure where to begin, Reverend Jill gave us the best starting point: Read the red words.

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Reflection Questions:

1. What’s one “red-letter” teaching of Jesus that challenges you the most?

2. What are some things you need to stop caring about to make room for what matters?

3. How can you be more active in loving God and loving others this week?