Hello Friends,
Welcome back to Prepared Hearts, the online Bible study of
the Wacousta Community United Methodist
Church.
This week’s lectionary texts include: Joel 2:23-32; Psalm
65; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14. I’ll be preaching from the Gospel of
Luke this week. The text is below, followed by starter thoughts:
Luke
18:9-14
He also
told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous
and regarded others with contempt: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one
a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself,
was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves,
rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I
give a tenth of all my income.” But the tax-collector, standing far off, would
not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be
merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his home justified
rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all
who humble themselves will be exalted.’
STARTER THOUGHTS
I have a friend who meditates daily, using the mantra: “Lord
Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” When he first shared
this with me, I thought: how depressing! I’ve used a variety of Christian
phrases and prayers for daily meditation, but this one (which is actually an
ancient Christian practice) just seemed like a total bummer! Who wants to
recount, over and over again, one’s status as a sinner?
And yet…the older I get and the deeper my faith becomes, I’ve
got to admit that I now appreciate (yes, even like) this phrase. It no longer
holds the negative and judgmental meaning for me that it once did. It frees me
to accept God’s mercy and (with God’s help) show that mercy to others.
What does the tax collector’s prayer, “God, be merciful to
me, a sinner!” mean to you? How does it feel to be identified as “a sinner?”
Does the idea of that feel condemnatory and critical? Or does it center you in
reliance on God? Or is your response nothing like either of these? Spend a few
moments with this prayer, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” and notice your
reaction to it.
I think most of us can relate to the Pharisee in this story.
I’ve found myself (on plenty of occasions) wrapping myself up tightly in a big
blanket of self-righteousness. Part of this stems from pride, and part of it
comes from insecurity. The Pharisee is careful to recount to God all that he is
doing to try to earn salvation. As Christians, we know that Christ’ grace is
sufficient for us, and yet, don’t we often get caught up doing good works to
impress others or be noticed by God? What do you think is going on with this
Pharisee? Is he presumptuous? Prideful? Insecure? Clueless? All of the above?
When do you feel yourself most drawn into places of self-righteousness? How do
you respond?
I will admit that virtually every time I’ve said of others, “Thank
God I’m not like that person!” God has
somehow managed to put me in that person’s
situation! I’ve learned to never utter the words, “Well, I would never…”
because as sure as the sun rises, I will end up doing the very thing I
condemned someone else for! Have you had similar experiences? How has the
Spirit curbed your pride or helped you to recognize when you are getting caught
up in your own virtue?
The reader of this text discovers the true character of the tax
collector and the Pharisee through the prayers they offer to God. What do your
prayers say about your faith?
Finally, how does the church do, as a whole, in facing sin?
When it comes to corporate acts, like global warming, poverty, and lack of
affordable housing, what is the church’s responsibility to cry out, “God, be
merciful to us, sinners!” Do we dwell on these sins or do something about them?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reflections!
Email me or post a comment here.
Peace,
Pastor Amee
I find myself in this parable somewhere in between; I try very hard to not be condemning or judgmental of others but also often fail to recognize my sins and pray to God with such sincerity and passion as the tax collector did. I know that I am a sinner, I admit this to myself and my friends and try not to do or say things that displease God but how often do I CRY OUT to Him to save me, to forgive me? Hmmm.. Have I become so assured of God’s love and forgiveness for me that I don’t even think about asking for His mercy on me?
ReplyDeleteThis past week we have been studying Numbers where we learned about the sacrifices that were required for the “unintentional sin” and it made me think about all the times I have done things that I did not intend to do but still did or didn’t even realize that I had done, my actions (or inaction) can hurt others in ways I may never even know about. So to pray with REAL passion like the tax collector does is what is required and asked for. There is no way I could go to Christ with a list of my sins because I am sure there are a lot that I would miss and not even recognize! To come to Him in such an authentic way is what is asked for and I think is what Jesus is saying here.
This parable also made me reflect on the times when I find myself praying half-heartedly to God, my mind wanders or I am tired or just not in the mood to pray but feel it’s something I should do, kind of a “it is morning so I need to pray right?” type of feeling. What this parable is telling me is to stop my “half hearted”, “got to get this over with” type of praying and start becoming more intentional and authentic in my prayers. If I don’t have time, then don’t pray, instead make time to pray when you really can mediate and give God your whole being as the tax collector did. No excuses.
…all who humble themselves will be exalted. I LOVE this sentence and it is as Christ wants us to live our lives. The Pharisee is recounting to God all that he is doing when he should be giving God the glory for allowing him to do the things he does. It is so easy to get caught up in the “I am special” club and take your eyes off of the one that has created you to do what He is calling you to do. All it takes is a “you are so good at that” for me to get a big head!! Haha And as soon as I do, I make a mistake and God reminds me I am NOTHING without Him! I have come to love serving silently, to do something for someone that they will never know about brings me so much joy because it means I don’t have to worry about being recognized for it and risk getting the “big head”. It’s just pure joy in serving the Lord and others. Every day I try and start my day with the sentence “it’s not about me it’s about you Lord” but sticking to it isn’t easy which is why I also need to learn to be like the tax collector and sincerely pray to God to have mercy on me. They go hand in hand. Peace