Back to the Sermon

 

Okay, enough with the philosophical birthday stuff from yesterday, we have a Sermon on the Mount Series to complete here ~ gotta love my inner Protestant work ethic voice sometimes.  We are wrapping up and winding down the Sermon on the Mount this week with chapter 7 where Jesus starts off, Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.  For the judgment you give will be the judgment you get, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.  Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

 

Well thanks for that uplifting wisdom, Jesus.  I think someone woke up with a case of the “Grumpy Dwarfs”.  Fun Bible Nerd fact ~ the word hypocrite means actor.  This reminds us of the question, where are we playing a role right now in our lives?  Where have we adopted a ‘fake it til you make it’ mentality?  Where do we think we have ‘it’ (meaning life, faith, politics, people, the world, the universe) figured out ~ not realizing our point of view is a view from one/single point!  We all have a log in our eye and unfortunately we don’t see it.  Our mind has adjusted to it.  And because we have a bias toward confidence and competence; because we tend to think being prophetic is making a ruckus and calling other people out; because we believe that information leads to transformation (which doesn’t always work, even though that is our favorite or only tool/technique to use).  Because of all of this, we cling to our logs and point out other’s splinters.  We proclaim that we have it all together, even as our inner voice and color commentary annoyingly points out our fumbles and stumbles ~ that we don’t want to hear.   Today, sit with your beautiful beloved brokenness.  Today, be human size and let others be human size too.  I know we hurt and harm each other.  I know people’s words and actions leave wounds and we want to strike back with eye-for-eye justice, enough with this turn the other check stuff, Jesus!  We want to score points on an imaginary score board and we want, like Burger King says, to have it our way, right now!! 

 

Sit with this quote from Edward Friedman, ““The colossal misunderstanding of our time is the assumption that insight will work with people who are unmotivated to change.” 

 

Sit prayerfully with the truth that this applies to you and me as well!  How willing are you to change?  Wait, you think, why would I need to change?? 

 

Be still with the Sacred who is not finished with you or me on this day and in this month.  Amen.