Whose Goodness?

Can be heard here

Gate Pa – Year C  30^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Pentecost 23

Readings:

Psalm                          Psalm: 65 (8am only)

First Reading:                         Joel 2:23-32                            

Second Reading:        2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 

Gospel:                        Luke 18:9-14               

What I want to say:

How often do we join the Pharisee and give in to the temptation that we have earned our salvation thanking God for our goodness? How often do we stand with the tax collector knowing we have nothing to offer, trusting in God’s deep love and thanking God for God’s goodness?

What I want to happen:

People to spend time giving thanks

The Sermon

     1.     Introduction:

A kangaroo kept getting out of his enclosure at the zoo. Knowing that he could hop pretty high, the zoo officials put up an 8-foot fence. The next morning, however, the kangaroo was out again, idly roaming around the zoo.

The zoo officials raised the height of the fence to ten feet. Again, however, the next morning the kangaroo was again roaming about the zoo. This kept on, night after night, until the fence was 20 feet high.

Finally, the camel in the next enclosure asked the kangaroo, "How high do you think they'll go?"

The kangaroo replied, "Who knows? Maybe 50 feet. Unless somebody starts locking the gate at night."

     2.     Pharisees

Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:
a lot about this story is wrong

eg Pharisees

yes they and Jesus seemed to be at each other

            although how much of reflects later tensions when Gospels were written hard to know

            we often see them as conservative rule keepers

-> negative force in Jewish life

            but relatively small group of reformers (only about 6,000)

-         felt priests and supporters Herod – broken faith with God

-         concerned with holiness of God

-         meditated on law as way honour God’s holiness

 – Psalm 119 gives clues to devotion

-         practices helped them keep before them law

-         adhered to in order that they honoured Holiness of God

-         so what Pharisee described as doing in this story is what happened

o   fasted

o   tithed more than law required – including on goods purchased in case tithe had not already been paid for them.

o   prays at temple

o   devout

we see them as defenders of status quo

at time their actions were seen as nonviolent opposition to leadership both Rome and Judean elite

or put it another way

not a lot of difference between Jesus and Pharisees

            both reformers

            both seen opposed status quo

            where they differed was how they interpreted law/Torah

                        through there adherence to the law made themselves holy/righteous/right with God

playing family feud

            asked “who were righteous” – Pharisees would been among top answers.

     3.     Where are we?

so going back to the story

- who is he talking to or about?

…….

Pharisees?

up to now – disciples

so is he talking to disciples who trusted in themselves….?

even those who were with him were getting it wrong

            seen it already

            continue to see it in gospels

that should make us all very nervous

this becomes a story about us.

      4.     The story

So Jesus tells a story about two men praying in temple

            well Pharisee is in temple

                        clearly part of the group who are “in” with God

            sinful and hated tax collector is in outer courts

                        such a person clearly not part of the group who are “in” with God

Pharisee plays his cards to God

            listing his virtues and holiness

            and listing the vices and sinfulness of others

                        to give his holiness extra gloss

                        even peeking over to that tax collector

he thanks God for his own goodness

            trusts in that goodness

            trusts that because of that goodness he will be rewarded

Tax collector is out of cards

            nothing to list

            knows he is as bad as worst offender

            can’t get any extra bonus points for being better than anyone else

            only option trust in God’s goodness

trust in God’s forgiveness

knowing there is nothing he can do to earn it

     5.     Us

That is the difference between the two people in this story

One gives thanks to God for his (mans) goodness

One gives thanks to God for God’s goodness

so where are we in this story?

Truth is most of us find ourselves with Pharisee too often

probably don’t even notice it

too busy being humble

            which is one cards I can play

if were to list virtues

            we go to church

            most us read bible

            most of us pray

            most us baptised – confirmed even

            most of us involved some kind of ministry

            most of us not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, murderers, p makers, drug sellers, etc…..

If heaven is the point

            then we should be pretty near the front of the line

thank goodness we are good people

God will reward us.

But there it is

us standing with Pharisee

            standing with those disciples

who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:

In the end all of that really doesn’t count for much if we do it to earn a reward of some kind

we earn nothing

But if we do that in response to love that is freely given

do that in response to God’s goodness

do that knowing that we are no more or no less loved than any other person

            no matter how good or bad in our eyes.

So what do we give thanks for this morning?

give thanks to God for our goodness

give thanks to God for God’s goodness