Striking the Attitude
First Congregational Church of Evanston
October 28, 2007 (Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost)
Luke 18: 9-14
2 Timothy 4:6-8
Rev. Dr James E. Roghair, Interim Pastor
NRSV 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
6 As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
NRSV Luke 18:9-14
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 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. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.'
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!'
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."
I. Introductory Story
I wonder if you heard the one about the woman who went to the gates of heaven to be greeted by St. Peter. Peter asks her to give a brief history of her life with an emphasis on the good deeds she has done, in order to gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven. “You will need 1,000 points to be admitted,” Peter tells her.
“This will be a cinch,” she thinks to herself, “I’ve been involved in church from the days of my youth.” Then she begins to list her activities for Peter. She was an officer in his youth group, served in every possible position she could as a youngster. Was on the church council and every committee of the church. Her list was extensive.
“Very impressive,” Peter smiles at the woman. An angel standing with them also smiles and nods as he tallies the points and then whisperes in Peter’s ear. Peter tells the woman, “This is quite striking; we seldom see anyone of your very good works. You will be pleased to know that you have 327 points! Is there anything else you can think of?”
The poor soul breaks into a cold sweat and begins to reach deep for every single act of kindness she could think of. She lists them as the angel scratches furiously on his angelic clipboard and nods his head in admiration. Peter looks at the clipboard and says, “This is quite exceptional! You now have a total of 402 points. Can you think of anything else?”
The distressed church member strives to recall good deeds, like the time she helped a little old lady across the street. She finally arrives at a grand total of 431 points and then she cries out, “I’m sunk! There’s no hope for me! What more could I have done? O Lord, all I can do is beg for your mercy!”
“That,” exclaims Peter, “is a thousand points!” (adapted from Www.Homileticsonline.com)
Attitude
It’s all about her attitude. In Jesus’ parable, the one who trusted in himself that he was righteous – the one who had done everything conceivable to make himself righteous – the one who had kept all the rules and observed all the piety, but who held contempt for others, that one went down to his home rejected by God. He was so very sure of himself that he took a posture of self-congtatulation. He thanked God for his own goodness – that he was better than others. But God was not impressed. It was about his attitude.
But the one who recognized his inadequacy – the one who wouldn’t even turn his face upward in the normal posture of prayer – the one who threw himself onto the mercy of God – because his life had been one of shame, that one was received by God. He was very unsure of himself. He didn’t know whether to even expect God to hear him. He was the one forgiven by God. It’s all about the attitude!
Understanding this Parable
This is one of those reversal parables of Jesus. In many of Jesus’ parables the standard assumptions and the common knowledge of Jesus’ listeners were turned upside down. You and I approach the parables of Jesus differently than the people of Jesus’ day. You and I have probably heard them all of our lives – for many, many years. To us the Pharisee in this parable is the bad guy and the tax collector is the good guy, because we have heard the parable interpreted before.
But for Jesus’ audience it was quite the opposite. The Pharisees were exemplars of Jewish religion. They were meticulous in religious duties and responsibilities. Their piety was impeccable. Any Jew might have wished to follow the piety as carefully as the Pharisees. The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee. Jesus took the Pharisees very seriously – maybe he was one, too. At least he took them seriously enough to be very articulate about their practices.
So, when Jesus started to tell this tale, the Pharisees in the audience probably nodded in agreement proud of what the Pharisee Jesus was telling about did – imagining they might have said it. They were superior people – no question about it. Common people who did not live up to the Pharisees’ standards nodded, too. The Pharisees were without parallel in the community – faithful stewards of the Jewish traditions at a time when that faithfulness was very difficult. Roman rule challenged much that was sacred.
But the tax collector (or publican, in the older translations) was a Jew who had collaborated with the Romans. He was worse to them than the Gentiles. He was in a category as we might put an organized crime figure or a terrorist. There was no place for him – no sympathy. And so, in Jesus’ story, when the tax collector begins to pray for God’s mercy, everyone in the audience was still nodding. This enemy of his own people had no business even coming into the temple. And if he were there, he should indeed stand afar off. He did not deserve to look toward heaven where God would be, so it was good that he put his head down. Finally, he spoke well he placed himself in the mercy of God! Everyone is agreed he was scum, and he should grovel.
So, it is in the last line of Jesus’ parable that all the people realized that they have been hit with yet another of Jesus great reversals! Nothing was quite as it was expected to be when Jesus taught. “I tell you, this [scum-ball] went down to his home justified rather than the [church member]; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” Jesus spoke of attitude.
It was the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisee that Jesus condemned. It was the attitude of humbly seeking God’s mercy that made Jesus rejoice.
People went away scratching their heads. Some got what Jesus meant and they were angry. Who was this Jesus, anyway, to blow up the religious status quo? But some who heard begun to realize that Jesus was teaching a new way to think about what God requires. Jesus was concerned about the inner spiritual life – the attitude – not the outward piety. Jesus was talking about faith that runs deep, not about a shallow religiosity. Jesus was teaching that an attitude of repentance and reliance on the grace and mercy of God, is much more important than the pietistic regulations of the Pharisees. Jesus discouraged people from striking the attitude of self-righteousness, regardless of how natural it may feel, even today. That is not what God requires.
Attitudes in the Church Today
It may be helpful to remember that the people today most like the Pharisees are faithful Christians. Think of this scenario:
A church member was his way to church one Sunday morning, and stopped off at the convenience store. As he was leaving, a young man dressed in a T-shirt and shorts entered the store. The gentleman took one look at him and made an audible sigh loud enough for people to hear. He was assuming that because of the way the young man was dressed, he was not on his way to church. The gentleman might have felt that he was superior to the other because he would be attending church. Later that morning the gentleman may have prayed thanking God that he was not like the other man, or it may have just been in his attitude.
Could the young man have gone to a secret place and laid his soul before God and prayed for God's guidance in his life? Jesus told a parable: “I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other.”
We in the church are the Pharisees of our day. We are the stewards of the tradition We take on a certain piety and could adopt a certain superiority. It is our human nature. People are watching us. Those out in the streets are looking for exemplary behavior from us, but not an attitude of superiority. If we nod in agreement at the beginning of the parable and even in the middle of it, we will finding ourselves caught up in Jesus’ great reversal.
Jesus calls those who are weary and heavy burdened to come unto him. That is our neighbors who are not in the church, and it may be us, too, if we drop our self-righteousness attitudes. What attitude will we strike? (This section adapted from Emphasis in www.csspub.com )
Paul’s Attitude
On first blush, it may feel like the Apostle Paul in the Epistle passage we read this morning, is striking an inappropriate attitude. And maybe he is – no one ever said that Paul was perfect. But what we read it in this context is Paul’s last will and testament. We can’t be absolutely sure that Paul wrote this himself – maybe someone later ascribed it to him. But whether it is Paul’s words or an attempt to capture Paul’s attitude by a later disciple, I do not find here a self-righteousness. Rather Paul is looking back over the journey of his life. He recognized faithfulness as a process, and he used the athletic metaphors of a good fight and a race finished. Living faithfully was not something Paul had attained in full. He was thankful that God had been beside him in the struggle! That’s about attitude.
Church Anniversary
Today we rededicate the two buildings of this church using some of the music and liturgy that were used when they were new. With what attitude do we do this? Will we stand in this place to proclaim that we are a cut above all the rest – and thanks to God that we are? That is always a temptation.
But it is more appropriate in this day of rededication to recognize that individuals and churches both sometimes miss the mark – sometimes fail to live up to the call of God. And we can then pray for God’s mercy and grace.
But like the Apostle who is not perfect, we can still thank God for being with us in the good fight and in the race we run. The faithful church is never a finished product, but always God’s work in process. One of the watchwords of the Protestant Reformation has been “Reformed and ever reforming.” I believe it comes to us from Calvin’s day. It was reflected in a popular poster a number of years ago: “Be patient with me, God isn’t finished with me yet.” That slogan can be for individuals and for churches.
Conclusion
This is a busy day – a day of rededication, a day of remembering our place in the Protestant Reformation, a day of welcoming visitors, and a day of inviting you all to consider the depth of your financial commitment to the church. But we also remember that this is a time of deep anticipation, as we look to the future with an unknown new pastor on the horizon.
On this day with multiple things on our minds, perhaps it is good for us to pray for God’s mercy and to try to emulate the Apostle Paul – to run the race that is set before us, to fight the good fight and to be faithful in all that is set before us.
It’s all in the attitude.
God be merciful to us.
Amen.
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