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First
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Faithful
Living
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10/28/07: Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost (“C”) Rev. Karen S. Cook Luke 18:9-14 (Pew Bible p.911) FAITHFUL LIVING After reading today’s Gospel lesson, I have to wonder if the important
thing is not that we pray, but HOW we pray. The Lord’s prayer often
turns into a recitation like the Pledge of Allegiance, and our prayers
of confession sometimes lack feeling. Our Father who art in heaven…blah…blah…blah…blah…blah… The character of our faith shows through in our prayers. Sometimes
we Christians ARE hypocrites. I’ve been guilty this week, for sure.
Sometimes, I sound just like the foolish religious leaders I detest.
I start out every day walking my crazy dog. As I walk around my neighborhood,
I wave to everyone I pass like my relatives do in the Midwest – whether
they’re in a car, on a bike, on a skateboard, walking, jogging… I greet
the people I meet – and sometimes I greet the birds and the squirrels
too. I start out every day trying to be friendly and kind. But by the
middle or end of the day, it’s a different story. I mean, I try to be
good, but there’s just too much crud in this world that sometimes wrecks
my world by noon. Adults spend too much time worrying about money. The Pharisee this
morning has it all figured out. “I tithe,” he prays. “I give 10% of
everything I make just like the Bible says.” “I do without food – even
twice a week,” the Pharisee prays. “That should put me in a good relationship
with You, God. I’m doing what I’ve been told. I’m doing what I learned
to do in the Bible. Surely, that’s good enough for You, Mighty God.
And there are so many people around me who don’t give like I do. Thank
you God, for making me… me. Amen.” Sounds kind of lame, doesn’t it? Like how we spend our money is the
one thing that will bring us close to God. And it’s money that keeps
us from being like other people – like the tax man who’s looking for
our interest, or the robber & crook who want money and things they
didn’t earn. Today is another parable on faith, I think. This week, it’s faithful
living. It’s about faithful living for people of all ages – it’s not
just a story for money-obsessed adults, but a story of faithful living
for each person here today. And from how Jesus tells the story, it’s
not that we pray – it’s how we pray that puts us in a better relationship
with God. It looks like the Pharisee has earned his “get out of jail
free” card, but he’s forgotten the quality of the faith that God gave
him. We know that true faith is a long journey of hills and valleys.
But sometimes we forget the wonder of the new birth part of faith. The
first acceptance of faith is so fresh and hopeful. And every time God
puts a different quality of faith in our path, there can be this feeling
of new birth all over again. The trouble is that we don’t get those
exhilarating feelings of faith by noon or midnight every day. And so
we have the opportunity to forget how to pray, or how to be a disciple,
or how to listen for the inner voice of God. Today’s parable gives us at least a couple of lessons. Here’s one
I heard this week for the first time… Certainly, the church gathers
people, but it doesn’t necessarily make disciples. I wonder if Jesus
was talking about the bad prayers of the Pharisees he has experienced,
and their lack of real faith. But that brings me to another wondering…
Is Jesus telling me that I have the capability within me to be both
an ego-driven pray-er and a human being who remembers that it is God
who really drives me? There’s a bumper sticker that says, “If God is
your co-pilot, you’d better change seats.” Which inner voice do I let take over? Do I just react, or do I choose
to wait … and then act after I’ve given a moment for the humble voice
to come out? Which inner voice do I let take over? Do I wait for God
to have a say? And sometimes, actually much more often than I want –
I do not wait for God to have a say. I can only speak for myself, so
I will. Yes, I tithe – on my gross income. Yes, I’ve given up my life
to work for Jesus. Yes, I’ve said “yes” to a life where I will probably
not have so much of “a life” – but it’s the kind of life that can lead
me to the life that really IS Life. This is why I need the church –
so I can stay a “practicing Christian.” I don’t need just to practice
tithing & giving up my life. I need to practice humility the most.
I was born with a good brain, and that left me for a couple of years.
I knew I needed to depend on God because I couldn’t depend on myself.
And now that my brain is continuing to re-path the former paths, I’ve
fallen back into hearing some of the same old voices that don’t depend
on the quiet time where God’s voice has a chance. I need to practice
living in the place where “I” don’t get the first word. I need to practice
living in the place where God gets the first word in my head and in
my heart. That is why I need the church. Sometimes, it’s music that paints a better understanding about a parable
for me. I was listening to some Sweet Honey & the Rock this week,
and came upon this 2½-minute song that sings a parable alongside
Jesus’ parable. Take a listen… (play Bernice Johnson Reagon’s “Come
Unto Me” from The Women Gather.) Take My yoke upon thee and learn of Me Come unto Me all ye that labor and I will give you rest Come unto Me all ye that labor and I will give you rest Within the stillness of our being exists our connection to the Creator;
a continuous spiral of energy breathing wisdom and knowledge into every
moment… a feeling, intuition; the true first thought… how fully our
seeds of life could blossom if we would only wait, and listen for the
inner voice of God… Amen. (This last paragraph is adapted from the introduction to “Inner Voices”
recorded by Sweet Honey & the Rock’s Sacred Ground.)
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