Jack’s Winning Words 1/29/15
“It’s not what we do, but also what we don’t do, for which we are accountable.”  (Moliere)  Moliere, the 17th century playwright/actor, had a way of poking fun at religious hypocrisy.  Even the church of today needs to work at being true to what God intends it to be.  “Hypocrisy” is from the Greek, meaning to “act” out, without being “real.”  Usually, people are negative toward hypocrites.  As Edgar Guest wrote: “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.”    ;-)  Jack

FROM JB ON THE EASTSIDE:  That is brilliant Jack.====JACK:  Moliere was the brilliant one.  Most of us just do piggy-backs on the ideas of others.  But, I'm OK with that.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  The Priest and Levites in Good Samaritan parable.====JACK:  His words (Matthew 23) could be a warning to us pastors, too.  “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel."  Are you familiar with this poem by Marguerite Wilkinson?
“I never cut my neighbor's throat;  My neighbor's gold I never stole;
I never spoiled his house and land;  But God have mercy on my soul!
For I am haunted night and day  By all the deeds I have not done;
O unattempted loveliness!  O costly valor never won!”
====JOHN:  I never prepared a sermon or a lesson without being aware that I was a messenger of the Lord and that a misguided word could be an awful thing.   I think as pastors we bear an awesome responsibility and that someday we will have to answer for it.    Thank God for His Graciousness through the Cross of Christ.====JACK:  I've tried to keep a copy of each of the sermons I've preached.  While I've tried to do my best...there have been times when I could have done a lot better.  I agree...being a pastor/preacher is a great responsibility.

   FROM MICHIZONA RAY:  Jung wrote about this using "persona" as his reference. The "mask" of pretense, like an actor who pretends to be someone else, identifies the illusion of identity. The authentic person is honest and "knows himself" (to borrow the comment of Socrates), and the person who does not deceive himself is the one who "removes the beam from one's own eye" (to borrow the command of introspection by Jesus the Christ). The "real" or reality is often the illusion which is our invention that serves to cover or deny the Truth. Jung wrote, "...that there are even those who believe that are what they pretend to be". He is so right!====JACK:  We may not like the thought, but we are all hypocrites, in one way or another, "pretending to be what we are not."  We continue to struggle with that "sin," and, at the same time, hope for the truth of "grace."

FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Wherever this confession comes from--is it in the Bible or did Luther compose it or who? I meditate and pray it a lot "I am in bondage to sin and cannot free myself. I have sinned against You in thought, word and deed. I have not loved You with my whole heart and I have not loved others as myself. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me my sins." Just even keeping that alive in my mind and heart and trusting that God is constantly acting in this world and helping me to live in His reality and not some self-made and self-thought up reality that I concoct, gives me hope and courage to get up each morning and try to do my best living through each day that is allotted to me. Actually, Jesus, when he was crucified, was probably being branded the biggest hypocrite, and yet He wasn't. Thought-provoking WW again today. ====JACK: In Luther's day, monks would beat themselves with straps until they fell unconscious, hoping to drive sin out of themselves.  Thankfully the Reformation came along and re-introduced us to "grace." ====SHARON:  Thanks for your response about Luther and people needing the message about God's Grace. I'm really thinking a lot about the Catholic Church and also the Church of Christ which my husband originally started in, in our faith journey and--to be fair-- am coming more and more into believing that each faith community holds in its assembly people who are in right relationship to God and to their neighbors but--for some reason--not everyone can get it from their church--maybe because they are blinded for a time and called by God to something further on. It would be interesting--if Luther could come back to being a mortal living on the earth today--if he would be in the forefront of appreciating the current Catholic faith--as it is being taught and practiced and advocate for even adopting back into the Lutheran faith some of its practices.====JACK:  There is no perfect Church, only imperfect people gathered and searching.  But, at least, the Church (whatever denomination) is God's gift to us.  I happen to find comfort and spiritual stimulation in the ELCA and in the direction in which it seems to be moving.

FROM TARMART REV:  I like this, “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day” . . . now time to shower, drink my protein smoothie and walk out on the stage of life set before me for this day's called-for performance!!====JACK:  Which "mask" will you wear today as you sit there with your popcorn?  Only God has "super power" to see what's underneath our false faces.  One of my favorite biblical characters is the tax-collector who called out, "Be merciful to me, a sinner."====REV:  Reminded often of the good graces of God...we looked at Lot's life and handling of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 last evening in Bible study...hard to see him as a righteous person, but in God's eyes he was (2 Peter 2:6-10)...I sure call on that same grace for my life as well.====JACK:  At first I read, "Lot's wife."  That would have made a difference.

FROM RI DIGGING OUT IN BOSTON:  Today we are enlightened by strong words and implications from three men giving us their words of wisdom.====JACK:  My step-father used to say, "Forget about yesterday,  plan a little bit for tomorrow, and live like hell today."  Sometimes, depending on who was present, he'd change "hell" to "heck."  But the truth is...the past is past, and we are living in the present.  We can learn from Moliere, but we have to live with face in the mirror.

FROM JUDY:  I had a special education director who taught us that when we were working with other teachers and we disagreed with their comments or their teaching style regarding special needs students, yet remained silent it was as if we agreed. I will always remember this. It makes me think. Sometimes I do choose to not respond when in disagreement, for a variety of reasons, but that context always is in my consciousness as a result.====JACK:  To respond or not to respond, that is the question.  "It depends."  Is it in Ecclesiastes..."There is a time to respond and a time not to respond."  To know the difference is the beginning of wisdom.

FROM TRIHARDER:  I learned very early in my career, Jack, that when a judge is arguing your position to your opponent, you sit down and shut up. In fact, that happened during a case I was involved in a year ago. The judge argued my position to my opponent, beating her up pretty well during the process. She turned to me. "I learned a long time ago that when a judge argues my position better than I can, I should just keep my mouth shut. I adopt your statement to counsel and have nothing to add. My client's not here, so I don't have to act like I'm earning my money."  She smiled and ruled in my favor.====JACK:  Have you ever heard these words?  "Zol zein shah!, Shtimm zich, Farmach dos moyl"

FROM THE CHALDEAN:  Agree.====JACK: I guess that means that we "click."

FROM ST. PAUL WINTERING IN MESA  in the rich man and Lazarus story,  the sin of the rich man was not what he did but what he didn't do!   he just never noticed the poor man sitting at his gate...JACK:  In my first parish there was a 90-yr-old shut-in who could only speak Swedish.  Whenever I would call on her, she would always ask me to tell her the story of "den rike mannen och Lasarus."  Even though I couldn't speak Swedish, I did my best to tell the story simply...and she seemed to be satisfied with that.  And, it happened every time.  But, you're right...that story fits with what Moliere was saying.

FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE:  Jack, part of my prayers most every morning is to ask forgiveness for what I did do that I shouldn't have done, and for what I didn't do that I should have done. ====JACK:  I suppose you've heard of the man who wanted to ask forgiveness for the things he didn't do, but should have done.  "O Lord, forgive my falling shorts."  But seriously, I commend your morning prayers.  It's a good way to start the day.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I've often said that I think we will be judged more for our sins of omission than of commission...I imagine we all have had myriad opportunity for service, counsel, and comfort which we failed to even see as we move through life at a pretty keen rate. It brings you up short to think about it. Not to mention being held accountable for every word that proceeds out of our mouths....EGAD, as old Mr. Gump in the cartoons used to say! Enough right there to keep you humble for the rest of this life....!====JACK:  This is not to dismiss our shortcomings, but sometimes we need to be reminded of the futility of "works righteousness" (either doing enough, or not doing enough) as a way of gaining heaven.  "You gotta accent the positive, eliminate the negative.)  The negative is that we need to work at improving ourselves.  We can be better than we are.  ..The positive is that, ultimately, heaven is by the grace of God.  (Ooops!  Once a preacher, always a preacher.)