The Publican and the Pharisee
St. Luke 18:9-14
The theme of Great Lent is repentance.
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More than learning to say “sorry” (although this is important)
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More than promising to “do better next time” (although this is important)
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It is the process of making a real change; of becoming something else – something even better
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Review of creating a soldier. Undo even things they may have been good at (shooting!)
This is hard work, it takes more than just a desire to “do better”. Our psychology: our ego – pride – digs in to defend itself and resist meaningful change.
Great Lent – and here I would include these preperatory weeks – is the “boot camp” system to jump start the process of healing and rebuilding our brokenness.
Today: the example of what we look like – a pharisee. Completely prey to his ego. It justifies himself and degrades the other. Classic. Almost as if Christ understood how our psychology worked!
Turns prayer – and religion itself – into blasphemy. It works directly against its original intent:
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A life of joyful contentedness that brings that same blessing to those around them
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This is what we do! We justify ourselves and demonize the other. Think about how we use even our religious ideas of virtue to define and attack others – at least we're not like them! And puff up ourselves.
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Wait a second, don't do that – I will always see how others do it. What I won't notice is how I do it. That's the point.
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We need to start paying attention to how and why we think the way we do – why we react to people and events – the way we do so that we can take the whole structure of brokenness that sets up for failure and rebuild it according to the truth.
Until then:
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We cannot truly know and love ourselves.
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We cannot truly know and love our neighbor.
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And we cannot truly love God.
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Nor can we receive His love – or that of our neighbor.
We need to get out of our own way. Trust the process. Buy into it. The “You” you get back will be worth the effort.