My daily devotion from Epiphany Lutheran Church

John 8. ¹³Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” (NRSV)

 

Devotion: There are some in the ELCA who know that, as a rule, I don’t cut the Pharisees any slack. They know that because I might have referred to them as Pharisees. Pharisees were biblically learned folk who cling to the letter of the Law at the expense of the Gospel. I have to admit that Pharisees get it right once in a while-well, half right.

            Struggling churches in Baltimore are not all that unique. We would often resort to trying to instill in them the simple mantra “it’s not about me, it’s about Jesus.” This means that sometimes we don’t get our own way in the church. So, the Pharisees, because they did not see Jesus for who he really was, came close. They saw Jesus as your average church geek, someone who was trying to recreate the church in his own image.If that was the case, then they were right.

            It has been said that if you want to hear God laugh, tell God your plans. However well intentioned you or I might be, our agendas are not always the same as God’s. We tend to create God (or God’s stuff) in our own image. The Pharisees needed to learn this lesson.

 

Prayer: We mean well, O Lord, even if it doesn’t always look that way. At least to you. Help us to be better stewards of your creation, help us to be attuned to your plans, your will. Amen