"In Whom Do You Trust?"       2010

Psalm 16:1-11           Luke 18:9-17

 

Psalm 16

1Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” 3As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight.  4Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips. 5The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. 6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. 7I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. 10For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. 11You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

 

Luke 18:9-17

9He 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. 11The 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. 12I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ 13But 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!’ 14I 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.”  15People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. 16But Jesus called for them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 17Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

 

There are lots of wonderful and uplifting stories in the Bible.

                We all have our familiar favorites

                        that inspire and comfort  in times of trouble or distress;      

    beautiful texts that we love to hear again and again, that

      overflow with hope and joy for God's love and goodness toward us-

 

        -- but these verses we read from Luke 18,

                        are not among those most cherished passages of Scripture,

                                    and in fact, they push us in ways,  we'd rather avoid.

 

Luke 18 is a difficult, challenging    and even scandalous text,

            in which Jesus tells a parable that is shocking and offensive…

                        … and the author of Luke makes it worse by allowing

                                    no confusion about the interpretation of this story.

vs. 9

            He also told this parable   to some who trusted in themselves   that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.

 

Possibly, our familiarity with this passage may have smoothed

            some of the edge and shock that his listeners would have heard

                        when Jesus told the story for the first time.

vs. 9-12

            “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  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.  I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’

 

The Pharisee represents the very peak and pinnacle of Jewish piety.

            He would have been highly respected and honored by all.

                                       He did all the right and religious things,

                                                and held in distain  those who did not.

 

And he was so focused on his superiority over the tax collected,

            that his prayer became a reminder to God of how good  he was,

                  especially compared to the sin & depravity of the other guy.

 

"Thank you Lord, that I am not like that sinful man over there

            for by my pious and godly achievement I really am way better,

                            and far more righteous and godly

                                    than that sinful tax collector, standing back there.

            "Surely you must be pleased by the diligence of my  good works,

                        and grateful,  that I am not a sinner and outcast like him.

 

More than a prayer addressed in humility to God,

            he comes before God confidently asking for nothing, for he sees

                        no need for anything beyond what his own piety can provide

     since he's quite certain   he's more than good enough to please God.

 

In contrast to this self-righteous and self-satisfied Pharisee

            the tax collector   was the lowest of the lowest of any outcast,

                        …   and they were avoided by all decent and godly people.

 

As much as the Pharisee modeled exemplary religious practice,

            so much more so    the tax collector exemplified sinfulness

                 and living a life that obliterated the commandments of God…

 

… and we'll miss the point of the parable if we don't appreciate

        the social distance and distinction between these two men.

 

The listeners of this parable would easily recognize the extreme,

            one,  a godly man  and the other   a notorious sinner,

                        men at opposite ends of the moral and religious spectrum.

vs. 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!'

 

The position and prayer of the tax collector are critical clues,

            for in contrast to the religious man honored in public worship,

                        the tax collector stands at the edge, in the back of the temple.

 

Perhaps too ashamed and his life too scandalous to actually go in;

       he knows he's rejected by men  and does not expect a welcome from God.

 

Everyone knows he's an outcast,  rightly rejected   by all decent folks;

            someone whom they should hold in righteous contempt & distain;

                        someone who has no right   to ask God for anything.

vs. 13               

            not even looking up … but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'

            He's not making any excuses or pleading any good works,

                        but all he can do   is ask for God's mercy and pardon.

 

In that culture where the Pharisee was an impressive religious hero,

            the listeners would assume he was the one more pleasing to God.

                        But the story does not turn out as everyone expected. 

vs. 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.

            The parable turns expectations and appearances upside down,

                   redefining who is the wicked and who is the more righteous.                

The point is hard for those of us regularly in the church to hear.

            But it seems that this Pharisee  has just enough religion

                        to appear externally virtuous and outwardly moral,

                                                yet not enough   to be humble and grateful to God;

       and because of his pious and arrogant  self-righteousness,  nothing happened.

 

He didn't really worship God.    He was too impressed with himself,

                        … and so the very religious man left the temple that day

                                    no different, and unchanged from how he came in.

    For to be

          so full of himself    didn't leave room enough for God's grace.

 

Throughout the Bible, God seems to take great delight,

            in overcoming and reversing human pride and expectations…

…   recognizing value and worth beneath our human façade & veneer…

 

  … as God's gracious love re-appraises our hidden worth;

            declares that we are valued, priceless & loved by God's choice…

                        … and calls us to gratitude,  and not arrogance or hubris.

 

Have you ever heard of 'clinker' bricks?

 

They are heavier than normal bricks that make a funny clinking sound,

            and are often a little misshapen and the color a little distorted,

                  because they were fired wrong or the mix wasn't quite right.

 

Because of their odd shape, irregular size and discoloration,

            their lack of uniformity makes much them harder to build with;

                        so they are generally discarded as useless and worthless.

 

Gates Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York,

            has a very unusual building, constructed out of clinkers.

According to their website,

            "The bricks that make up the exterior walls as well as the walls of the sanctuary are called, 'clinker' bricks.  These are basically the bricks that are normally rejected by masons because they are imperfect and defective.

            These 'clinker' bricks represent not only that we Christians are all unique, as no two bricks are the same,

                        but also that God, as well as the church, accepts and loves us with all our imperfections."

            Imagine, trying build a church out of misshapen clinkers…

 

Clearly we're called to humility and to trust in God's sovereignty,

            by recognizing who we are and what we are --- and who God is;

                        that we too are all clinkers,  broken and flawed -- we sin,

                            we fall short of God's glorious intent for our lives à

     yet

            God desires to have a growing intimate relationship with us

              and to build something wonderful by transforming our lives.

 

The danger is that like the Pharisee, our prideful self-righteousness

            will block our connection with God and cut off that intimacy…

… for to be full of ourselves leaves too little room for God's grace.

 

By grace, God chooses us, despite the chaos we make of our lives,

            freely giving what we cannot hope to achieve for ourselves.

 

Yet we all of us are greatly valued, precious and treasured by God,

            simply because God has said so, by God's choice alone…

                        … which is cause for nothing other  than  humble gratitude.

 

That is also the same lesson we read in Psalm 16:1-2, 11

            Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.   I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”  You show me the path of life.  In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.                                                                                    

            This is not to say that everything about us  is sinful and evil,

                        but reminds us  that all that is good, blessed and worthy,

                                    comes only as an underserved gift  of grace from God,

 

                                                and any goodness about us or the good deeds we do,

                                                            derive from our submission to God's Spirit,

                                                                 as we allow God's good to flow through us…

                            … i.e., as we respond to God's prior grace and choosing.

 

God has chosen you, God has chosen me,

        God chose each of us to be his own precious treasured possession

                        not because we are worthy or qualified or deserve it,

      but simply because God set his heart on us – because God loves us.

 

We humans choose the most obviously qualified – but God does not.

     We set limits and boundaries for inclusion – but Jesus does not.

 

The good news is that against all expectations or what we deserve,

            God has deliberately & with purpose    brought us to this place;

 

     where by God's grace alone

               we are touched by God's grace,  by God's love and decision

                           simply because God chose to love us and cleanse us,

                  as even now,

                        God is building something spectacular with us, his clinkers.

 

So if you are feeling a bit like a 'clinker, or know some 'clinkers',

            folks a little misshapen, deformed, defective or less valued,

                        than you really have come to exactly the right place…

                  for we are all here, only by the sovereign grace of our God,

                           overcoming all human boundaries to reach us with grace.

 

Our call and challenge

            is that as those whose life  has been touched by Jesus

                        now, we must be the affirming and touching  people of God

                              a touching & compassionate community of gracious hope;

                a people of grace who are

                        capable of faithfully reflecting God's grace

                                    as we learn to walk   ever more humbly with our God.

 

    All around us, in this community of Las Cruces and our world,

            people cry out in hopelessness, loneliness, fear and need.

 

Jesus has reached out to us  with His love, mercy and acceptance,

            and the question is,  will we respond and do the same?

    Do we, His Church, His people   so choose to show that same grace?

 

In trying to learn more about grace, community and clinkers,

            I read on the Internet

                        about a company that specializes in clinker bricks.

 

They buy and sell them for unique and distinctive architecture,

            and so clickers are now highly valued, sold at a premium price…

… and the banner ad on their website reads:

                        "WANTED:  clinker bricks --- all shapes, sizes and colors.

                                    … even the most warped are wanted."

 

I wonder, what Christ would think about a church,

            that welcomed,  "all shapes, sizes and colors,

                        and where even the most warped clinkers are wanted" ?

 

In the parable Jesus told,

            the Pharisee looked down and despised  those   unsavory others,

                        those he deemed   less worthy and less deserving than he…

 

      … and in his self-righteous arrogance, his focus was more upon

                 his own godly goodness than the gracious love & mercy of God…

           

            … and thus he came to trust more in his own righteousness,

                        than he recognized and acknowledged his own need

                             as a sinner who had fallen short of the glory of God.

 

Jesus addresses having a cold & graceless attitude in this parable

            warning that we too can be vulnerable   much like the Pharisee,

                        especially those of us who have been around for a while.

 

In an arrogant pride,   we may suppose God is quite impressed

            by how wonderfully splendid and worthily faithful we are;

                  or how fortunate God is that we are such marvelous servants,

                           who work so hard  compared to those less worthy others.

 

And so, let me suggest three lessons I draw from this parable:

 

first;            I need to think and rethink about how I feel about grace,

            especially toward those I see as unworthy and hopelessly lost.

   Remember,  Ephesians 2:8-9

            For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- not the result of works, so that no one may boast.

 

second;

   I need to give up my sense of superiority and arrogant self-righteousness.

            It is never a good idea  to compare ourselves to others,

                        for that can only lead to self-righteousness or to envy.

 

I need to remember,  the church of Jesus is a school for sinners,

            were we are all frail, feeble and wounded in some way,

                        and surely I too need

                                    God's gracious help and mercy as much as any other.

 

third;

  I need to relax a lot more and just enjoy the truth of God's love.

            Our call is to serve with joy and fulfillment and pleasure

                not to be so driven to impress or earn God's gracious acceptance

                        and not be so driven by fear, guilt or shame, or anything else.

 

Our call is to celebrate with joy and delight and fellowship

                        by offering our best in response to God's grace,

                                    by taking more pleasure in joyfully serving God.

            God's grace

                        calls for singing and dancing, not the harshness of fear.

 

So is there some need   for me to show more grace and compassion?

       Do I need to let God's grace  open and soften my heart,

         to confront my fear and help me more fully trust my Lord?

 

As the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15:13    

            May the God of hope  fill us all  with such joy and peace in believing,  that we may abound in hope   by the power of the Holy Spirit.