Friday, June 03, 2005
Daily Office, Year One, Proper 4, Friday
Today's Readings:
Upon arriving in the promised land, the Hebrews are to sacrifice the best of the first crop to God, and recite a statement of their faith history. Paul praises Titus for his eagerness and skills as a preacher. Luke teaches us that we should not take pride in our own righteousness. This passage is one of those that traditional Christians have used to support the idea that human beings are miserable, worthless sinners; they are salvagable only through God's grace and right belief. The problem is that we are given a false alternative to the boastful and proud Pharisee. It is not that it is better to think of ourselves as sinners, but that we must know who we are.
The Pharisee defines himself by one standard: what he is not. He is proud that he is "better" than other men. He brags to God about his good works. How foolish! God knows the what's and why's of our actions. We don't need to tell God about our acts of charity. The BCP defines seven forms of prayer, and not one of them involves a day-in-review.
The tax collector, on the other hand, defines himself by who he is: a Jew who collects taxes from other Jews to give to the occupying forces of the Romans. It is a position that the Jews considers fundamentally sinful. He knows his actions were wrong, and begs for mercy. Jesus states that the tax collector went home justified. I'm not sure what He means, as I don't think the word 'justify' is used much in the Gospels. It may be, but I'm not able to think of any right now. ¶ 12:08 PM
- Psalm 40
- Deut. 26:1-11
- 2 Cor. 8:16-24
- Luke 18:9-14
Upon arriving in the promised land, the Hebrews are to sacrifice the best of the first crop to God, and recite a statement of their faith history. Paul praises Titus for his eagerness and skills as a preacher. Luke teaches us that we should not take pride in our own righteousness. This passage is one of those that traditional Christians have used to support the idea that human beings are miserable, worthless sinners; they are salvagable only through God's grace and right belief. The problem is that we are given a false alternative to the boastful and proud Pharisee. It is not that it is better to think of ourselves as sinners, but that we must know who we are.
The Pharisee defines himself by one standard: what he is not. He is proud that he is "better" than other men. He brags to God about his good works. How foolish! God knows the what's and why's of our actions. We don't need to tell God about our acts of charity. The BCP defines seven forms of prayer, and not one of them involves a day-in-review.
The tax collector, on the other hand, defines himself by who he is: a Jew who collects taxes from other Jews to give to the occupying forces of the Romans. It is a position that the Jews considers fundamentally sinful. He knows his actions were wrong, and begs for mercy. Jesus states that the tax collector went home justified. I'm not sure what He means, as I don't think the word 'justify' is used much in the Gospels. It may be, but I'm not able to think of any right now. ¶ 12:08 PM
