Sermon October 23, 2022
Psalm 84:1-7 84:1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! 84:2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. 84:3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. 84:4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah 84:5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 84:6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 84:7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
Scripture
Luke 18:9-14 18:9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 18:10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 18:11 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. 18:12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' 18:13 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!' 18:14 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."
What Kind of Believer am I?
Once there was a person who stood in their home, as a great flood was coming. As the water was coming to the front door, someone came by in a jeep, asking them to get in and save themselves before it was too late. They replied, “No, I have faith in God. I will stay here, and I will be fine”. The water entered the house and filled the first floor. They looked out the window as someone came by in a boat, offering a ride. Once again, they answered, “No, I am fine. God will take care of me.” The water continued to climb until the person was forced on the roof. This time a helicopter came by, lowering a rope ladder, but they refused once again. The water kept rising until the person drowned and went up to meet God. When the person showed extreme confusion as to why God had not saved them, God replied, “But I sent a jeep, a boat and a helicopter; what more did you want?”
There are many different ways to believe in God. Today we will explore some of those.
We can start with this first story of the person who truly believed that God would somehow miraculously save them. This person did not believe that ordinary people are the hands and feet of God. So think for a moment, how do you truly believe? Do you believe only in a miraculous God? Do you only believe that God works through people? Or do you believe in both – that miracles can happen, and also that prayers are answered by ordinary people? Take a moment to think of a time when your prayers were answered. What kind of believer are you?
As for me, I believe in both. A few weeks ago I told you about my friend Lisa, who had pancreatic cancer. Many people prayed for her, and she had spontaneous remission, as declared by her doctors in Glens Falls Hospital. To me, that was a miracle performed by God.
In 2020, when the world was shut down by COVID, there was a time when Ugandan citizens were ordered to stay home, and it was illegal to use personal transportation to go anywhere. I met Joy, a single mom of two, when I was there early in 2020. She contacted me, asking for prayers, because she had no food left for her family. I prayed and asked some friends to also. Within a day or two, one of the heads of the organization we traveled there to help went out illegally at night. He delivered a pound of beans and a pound of corn flour to each of the families helped by the organization. He was the hands and feet of God, acting as Jesus would, feeding the hungry. Yes, I believe in both.
In today’s scripture reading, Jesus described two men who went to the temple to pray. The first was a Pharisee, a religious leader. This leader was very good at following the laws of the Jewish faith. As the story recounts, he ate according to law, fasting twice a week. He donated ten percent of his income as directed. We can assume that he did his best to perform all of the many rules and laws to live the life that was commanded in the Torah.
The second man was a tax collector. The tax collector in the day was a fairly rich man, but not in the ruling class, not a leader in the Jewish faith, and not of the lower class. The tax collector was somewhat despised by most.
They believed in God differently. The Pharisee believed that he would be in favor with God if he followed the rules strictly. He believed in the letter of the law, as written in the Torah. He felt he was better than everyone else, because he was so careful in how he lived according to God’s word.
Contrast this to the Tax Collector. This man knew he was not perfect. He knew he was despised by the Pharisee, by the people he collected from and from the ruling class, who he worked for. Yet, he loved God so much, and wanted favor from God, that he beat his breast and asked for mercy, calling himself a sinner.
Just a reminder here, a sinner is someone who is not inherently “bad”. A sin is an act where a person did not act in accordance with God’s will. We all have free will and can do as we please. When our will matches God’s will, we know because it feels so good and there is no question. When we do something that is not God’s will, it can be something awful, like murder of course, but it can also be something simple like driving past a possible homeless person who is begging for food. We all have had times when we are in a hurry or don’t have the money or patience. None of us are perfect. Even if you think so.
That brings me back to the Pharisee. He believed he was perfect! He did everything right and compared himself to others to prove it. He felt he was superior to thieves, rogues, adulterers, and tax collectors. He felt that he was so superior that he could judge others. Jesus said that those who exalt themselves, who judge themselves as being superior, will be humbled. We are not told when or how. I imagine that this man would probably go to his grave feeling superior.
On the other hand, the tax collector would be given mercy. With humility, he asked for forgiveness, so forgiveness would be granted. Jesus, as God’s messenger and our teacher, tells us that God loves us when we see ourselves as human, as imperfect, as people who can admit mistakes.
So what kind of believer are you? Do you feel better than others because you follow God’s word? Because you come to church each week and listen to the pastor? Because you give to the poor? Or are you the kind who knows they are not perfect, who asks for forgiveness, who feels God’s mercy? Or maybe both?
I have a friend who is a former Catholic. Although she left that church for a UCC church near here, she loved a few things about the Catholic Church. First, she loved and now misses the pomp and circumstance along with the incense and beauty. But secondly, she misses the confession. Each time she gave confession, it was so cleansing to admit wrong. She did not have to feel embarrassed by talking to a friend, relative or therapist. The priest was Godly and would not tell another human. She could tell God out loud what she had done wrong, being like the tax collector, although probably not so dramatically as beating her chest. She felt immediately cleansed, because she gave her guilt to God, and could feel God’s forgiveness.
So, this week, we are going into a silent confessional so to speak. We will have a full minute of silence where you can ask for forgiveness for anything you might have done that is not God’s will. It can be anything, including speaking harshly, running a red light, eating the last piece of pie without offering it to everyone else. I think you know what I mean. It could be something that happened this morning, or yesterday, last week or years ago. It can be small or can be something that has weighed on your mind for years. This is done in silence, so nobody else knows. Go ahead and beat your chest if you want, cry tears, or whatever you need to do, just ask for forgiveness. I will talk again when the minute is over.
Let us pray:
Dear Father-Mother God, today we have confessed our sins to you. We ask for your forgiveness. Because we have asked, we know that now, at this moment, we are forgiven. We have such gratitude for our Lord Jesus Christ, who teaches us to be humble, who teaches us to be the humans you created. As you now give us the mercy we asked for, we feel your peace in our hearts. We humbly thank you for showing us how to be the kind of believer you want us to be. Amen.
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