No Saints Allowed, Sinners Only - May 29
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 102; PM Psalm 107:1-32; Jer. 31:27-34; Eph. 5:1-20; Matt. 9:9-17
I think I finally had a little come apart in the age of COVID-19. Yesterday, I was in the office and talking with our finance manager, Ann, and I just looked at her, and said, “I don’t know how to do all this.” I was a little more honest and transparent than that. The even-keeled Rector that Ann has gotten to know over the last year and a half had vanquished in plain sight and doubting Thomas was left in his place. I feel like we are managing a start-up at Saint Stephen’s. I guess most professions are evolving at lightning speed. It is both exciting, and possibly the most challenging endeavor I have ever faced. Ann calmly listened. “John, just read your reflections.” When I laughed, she smiled, and then offered some real wisdom, “you don’t have to have it all figured out.”
I keep thinking we are going to hit perfection. I want the best for our community. I want our church to be the community that God calls us into, but my ego sometimes gets in the way. I have dreams of our church being the shining example for the Christian faith for how we can reach out in love to all people, how we can model stewardship of creation in a way that inspires the world, how we can be the very best at preaching and teaching and modeling pastoral care for each other. Which is why I found today’s Gospel reading so arresting.
Jesus is hanging out with the fringe, often referred to as the tax collectors and prostitutes, and he is being criticized pretty heavily for it. To which he responds, “those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Jesus wants no business with the people that have it all together. And those people need to be around the sick, not for the sake of fixing them but probably because the well have no idea what God is really about. I once saw a church sign in Nashville, “No saints allowed, sinners only.” That’s the real beauty of church, not only do we not all have it together, we aren’t supposed to.
It hit me in our reading for today, that not only should perfection be wiped from our goals, but maybe we will even lose something when we believe that we finally have it all together. Maybe we lose the dependence on God and on each other, we lose the reality that we are sinners in need of grace. Be gentle with yourself. It’s ok. No saints allowed to this party.
- John+
Questions for Self-Reflection
Are you comfortable with your imperfections?
In what ways do you rest with your own brokenness?
Daily Challenge
Make a mental list of some of the things that you need to work on and then give thanks to God for making you the person that you are. It doesn’t mean that we don’t need to change, only to remember there will always be things to work on.