But the Pharisees and the men who taught the law for the Pharisees began to complain to Jesus’ followers, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to invite good people but sinners to change their hearts and lives.” [Luke 5:30-32 (NCV)]
My mother always cleaned our house before the cleaning woman came. She explained that she didn’t want her to see how dirty our home had gotten since the last cleaning. This doesn’t make much sense to me, but I know many women who do the same thing. They are so ashamed of the dirt and mess in their homes that they straighten it up before the cleaning service arrives. Of course, there are others who won’t let anyone in the house unless it is on an absolute “need to enter” basis!
It makes even less sense that many of us aren’t willing to let God into our hearts because of the dirt and mess we’ve made in our lives. Jesus didn’t spend His time with self-righteous religious leaders; he spent His time with sinners who were always welcome at His table. Before they met Jesus, Matthew and Zacchaeus were corrupt tax collectors, Mary Magdalene was possessed by demons, and the woman at the well had what could politely be called a “colorful” past. Jesus came to cleanse us from sin, yet we seem unwilling to allow him to see our sins so He can do His job.
Because we won’t let God into our dirty house, we are often afraid to enter into His, yet church is exactly where we should go if we’re sinners. It is a misconception that only the “pure of heart” will be found in church. The amazing thing about God’s house is that everyone there is a sinner and they all know it! As our pastor often reminds us, “Church is not a country club for saints but rather a hospital for sinners!”
We don’t have to clean up our act before we turn to Him; he will clean it up for us. All we have to do is uncover the filth and admit that we are sinners. Once we relinquish our sin, we just need to ask His forgiveness. We don’t need to be ashamed if we’re soiled; church is like a cleaning service for the soul. Jesus is waiting there for us, scrub brush in hand, ready to make us fresh and clean.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of his great mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all those who with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him; have mercy upon you; pardon and deliver you from all your sins; confirm and strengthen you in all goodness; and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. [Absolution from “The Book of Common Prayer” (1952)]
In our part of Florida, yellow lights tend to mean “speed up” and red lights are just mere suggestions so no one really expects anyone to stop at a yellow. Although the light had just turned yellow, the elderly gentleman stopped his car. “The #@!% idiot should have sped through the intersection!” said the women following him. Having been tailgating his car, she was furious at having to brake so abruptly. Already late, now she’d be even later. Moreover, the unexpected stop caused her to spill her coffee and drop both her cell phone and makeup. Angry, she laid on the horn, called him a few more choice expletives, shook her fists and even gave him the middle-finger salute! She was in mid-rant when she looked up to see a police officer at her window. He politely ordered her to exit the car. Having forgotten her driver’s license in another purse, she was transported to the police station, fingerprinted, photographed, and finally placed in a holding cell.
In preparation for my mother-in-law’s 100th birthday, I’ve been creating a timeline. After perusing a century’s worth of history, I juxtaposed high points in her life with what was happening in the world around her. During her life-time, my mother-in-law saw the advent of everything from three-colored traffic lights and the Monopoly game to E-Z-Passes and X-Boxes, from pop-up toasters and World Book encyclopedias to microwave ovens and Google, from rotary dial phones and the first airmail to iPhones and email, from the first transatlantic flight and Admiral Byrd’s South Pole expedition to space shuttles, lunar landings and Mars’ probes.
A severely ill 12-year old girl’s wish was to be a singing star and, thanks to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, last Sunday her dream came true. Over a year’s worth of planning went into creating a full concert experience for her. The flashing lights of a police car announced her arrival and, when the professionally made-up, coifed, and gowned star exited her limo, we joined hundreds of others and screamed like adoring fans. While her security team (complete with dark glasses and earpieces) cleared the way, she and her entourage walked down the red carpet to the theater. The crowd cheered, took photos, waved banners and begged for autographs. Once in the theater, backed up by the choir from her school, she sang to an auditorium filled with 300 admiring fans.
“We covet your prayers,” said the new pastor. This was the second time in two weeks I’d heard someone say they coveted my prayers and the phrase bothered me. For more than twenty-five years, I recited “Thou shalt not covet” as part of the Communion liturgy, so coveting anything speaks of sin to me. Granted, neither speaker was expressing a desire for my spouse, home or donkey; nevertheless, the phrase touched a nerve. If coveting is a sin, why did these men (both pastors) say they coveted my prayers?
