334 SE Tecumseh Road  P.O. Box 5  Tecumseh, Kansas 66542  (785) 379-5005  Fax - (785) 379-5061

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Humbled  Luke 18:9-14  Jesus tells the parable, familiar to many, about the two men who go to church to pray. The one, quite proud of himself, gives thanks to God for making him such a good man, so much better than the sinners all around him. After all, he says, I obey all of the rules, including giving my tithe to the church! In the meantime the other man, painfully aware of his own shortcomings and sinfulness, makes honest confession and prays: God, be merciful to me, a sinner! (13)  The position taken by the Pharisee is one from which most of us  (all of us?) are quick to distance ourselves. [This notwithstanding the fact that tithing is good thing, OK?]  We know it’s not a good thing to be arrogant about our faith, our faithfulness, our religion. We know what Jesus teaches. And so we prefer to align ourselves with that other man, and we prefer to see ourselves as being fully prepared to confess our sinfulness to God, asking for God’s mercy. The question is: are we truly able to live up to that model? One wonders if some participate in the church only out of a sense of tradition, habit, duty. Maybe it looks good on the resume. Like the Pharisee, we may see ourselves as earning divine bonus points each time we tithe, fast, or obey some other ‘rule’. This is especially challenging for clergy, for pastors. I’m sure you don’t do this, but some people choose to behave differently when the pastor is present, as if somehow they need to ‘clean up their act’ lest the pastor intervenes and asks God to take away some of their bonus points. Some also seem to think that pastors are in some special ‘religious’ category - less sinful, less prone temptations and to sinful behavior. Now I hate to be the one to burst that bubble for you, but ......... we’ll talk!   It is tempting to exalt ourselves. It is tempting to feel morally superior to those who are not churchgoers, to look down our noses at them. After all, we put money into the offering plates, they don’t. We read scripture, they don’t. Look at me, for example – I’m a pastor, read lots of scripture, write about it, preach on it – just look at me! Am I good, or what? And yet, and yet – I lose my way. God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Right along with you, I need to listen to Jesus: for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted. (18:14) I am not superior to anybody, and (now don’t let me burst any bubble) - neither are you. That is good news, my sisters and brothers, that is good news. Not only that, it is news worth sharing with those who are not among us.  God is merciful to us, all sinners. - Pastor Piet – October 28, 2007