01/24/2024
I Think I’m Better Because I’m Afraid I’m Not
The "roots of self-righteousness" is not a sense of superiority and achievement. Quite the opposite. Judgmental people look down on others in order to try and bolster their own self-esteem. We create pecking orders and hierarchies of moral or religious achievement so that we can have concrete proof that we are okay—that we are at least better than obvious ‘sinners.’ The whole nature of judgmentalism flows from our fear that we are not good enough, attractive enough, accomplished enough, popular enough, or loveable enough.
That’s where the gospel of Jesus Christ comes in.
Of course we are not enough. We never have been and never will be. But the good news is that we don’t have to be. God is more than good and graceful enough for all of us. The goodness and unblemished character of Christ is imparted to us in that mysterious exchange which takes place on the cross of Calvary. He became poor so that we could become rich; he became one of us so that we could become One with God. We are loved and appreciated and cherish because we are sons and daughters of the Most High King and when we accept our place as heirs to the Kingdom and live out our royalty in our love for others then we become so much more than we ever could have become on our own.
There is no need to look down on other human beings. People are people—each and every one of us a mixed bag of one degree or another. We are called to look eye to eye, heart to heart with those God has put in our lives. And to appreciate the many and varied differences between us as part and parcel of the gift of life.
Archived Posts
So many quips and quotes...
So little time to preach
I wonder what Mary and Martha’s phones might look like:
* Martha = the open browser with 27 tabs
* Mary = the single window that matters
* Psalm 46 = God saying, “Close the tabs.”
Quotable Outtakes That Didn’t Make the Sermon This Week
“When you try to control everything, you don’t just exhaust yourself—you quietly replace trust in God with trust in you.” & more
There is a challenge when it comes to preaching the Word of God.
Preachers are called to open up and interpret the word—inspired and written down thousands of years ago—and make it relevant to a very different world. On top of that there’s a degree of persuasion that goes along with the process.
What Jessica Really Meant to Say in Her Sermon…
When Jessica or Rick or a guest preacher takes the pulpit it’s hard for me to write a One More Thing Blog. I can’t share with you what didn’t make it into the sermon because I have no idea, not having written or delivered it.
Jesus Keeps On Ruining Funerals!
I didn’t have anything this last week that didn’t end up in the sermon. No catchy illustrations that didn’t make the cut. No theological insights that slowed down the main point. No one can ruin a funeral like Jesus. Told as I saw it and that was it. So I did some quick research and I thought I’d share just a reminder of what Easter is all about.
When I Don’t Get To Give My Benediction
Yesterday’s sermon talked about how we are in the thrall of self-centeredness—caught in a system that rewards those who climb to the top, even when you have to climb on the back of others. I talked about a famous sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King, ....
Some Good Quotes that I Didn’t Get To Last Sunday
I have been working out of Adam Hamilton’s excellent book, Why Did Jesus Have to Die? And when I find something that says what I want to say more succinctly and expressively than I can, I like to quote it...