Humility

The greatest among you will be your servant…

 

 

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father-- the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Matthew 23:1-12

 

Christ Teaches Humility

LAUDER, Robert Scott

1800s

Scottish National Gallery

Edinburgh

United Kingdom

 

https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu//act-processquery.pl?code=ACT&SortOrder=Title&LectionaryLink=AProp26

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The single biggest problem in communication

is the illusion that it has taken place.

~ George Bernard Shaw

 

 

 

Whoever undertakes to set himself up 

as a judge of Truth and Knowledge

is shipwrecked by

the laughter of the gods.

~ Albert Einstein

 

 

 

 

 

 

Halloween Shenanigans

Robyn, Kate, Debbie

 

Suzanne, Jen, Sandy

 

Jen, Suzanne, Pam

 

 

 

What a fun evening with the eight of us!

 

David Gershon and Peace On Earth by 2030 — 

Rotary Forum for Discussion - Thursday evening Zoom

 

 In 1986, at the height of the Cold War, David Gershon conceived and organized the passing of a torch of peace around the world. The First Earth Run, in partnership with the United Nations, engaged a billion people through the media, 25 million people on the ground, and 45 heads-of-state in 62 countries. For 86 days wherever the torch of peace went all wars stopped and the world was united as one. 

 

Social

by

Mark Andrew Bailey

 

National Jewish Hospital Lobby

 

 

 

 

 

Pride is concerned with who is right.

Humility is concerned with what is right.

~ Ezra Taft Benson

 

 

 

 

 

November 5, 2023  Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 26 Year A

 

Previous OPQs may be found at:

 

Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein

comic

Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org

 

 

 

 

LECTIONARY

Joshua 3:7–17 

Psalm 107:1–7, 33–37 

1 Thessalonians 2:9–13 

Matthew 23:1–12

 

 

“Do and observe whatever the scribes and Pharisees tell you, but do not follow their example.  For they preach but do not practice.  They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.  All their works are performed to be seen . . . 
“The greatest among you must be your servant.  All who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Matthew 23: 1-12

THE WORD:

Today’s Gospel is another powerful indictment of the scribes and Pharisees.  The scribes were the religious intellectuals of the time, skilled in interpreting the Law and applying it to everyday life; the Pharisees belonged to a religious fraternity (“the separated brethren”) who prided themselves on the exact, meticulous observance of the Law.  Jesus condemns them for their failure to live up to their teachings:  In their eagerness to be revered, they seek to dominate rather than to serve.  Religious ostentation and pretension are rejected in favor of the Christian ideal of leadership contained in loving service to the community.

In warning his disciples not to use of the titles “Rabbi,” “teacher” and “Father,” Jesus condemns the spirit of pride and superiority such titles connote.  Those who minister as teachers and leaders should be humbled by the fact that they are not teachers or leaders in their own right but by the inspiration and grace of God.  In the reign of God, those who exercise authority have a particular responsibility to lead by serving.

HOMILY POINTS:

In the Gospel perspective, the greatest leaders and teachers are those who share their vision of faith not in words alone but by the power and authority of their example, in the integrity of their lives, in their commitment of service toward and respect for those in their charge.

Jesus exalts those whose leadership and influence over others are centered in humble service, in selfless integrity, in respect for the hopes and dreams of others, in the ability to empathize with and reach out to the suffering and struggling, the poor and forgotten.  

In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges us to recognize the “Pharisee-like” perspectives we often fall into: pride before humility, jealousy before grace, hypocrisy before integrity, entitlement before generosity, contempt before reconciliation.  Jesus calls us to put aside our doomed efforts to justify our Pharisaic self-righteousness and seek instead the peace and reconciliation of the Kingdom of God.  

For the person of faith, joy is found not in the recognition or honor that one receives in doing good but in the act of doing good itself, in realizing that we imitate Christ in such service, in the assurance that we are bringing the love of God into the lives of others.  

https://connectionsmediaworks.com/sundaygospel.html#nov5

 

 

 

First Reading Joshua 3:7-17

7The LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses.8You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”9Joshua then said to the Israelites, “Draw near and hear the words of the LORD your God.” 10Joshua said, “By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: 11the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. 12So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.”

14When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. 15Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, 16the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.

Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37

1   O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 
          for his steadfast love endures for ever. 
2   Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, 
          those he redeemed from trouble 
3   and gathered in from the lands, 
          from the east and from the west, 
          from the north and from the south.

4   Some wandered in desert wastes, 
          finding no way to an inhabited town; 
5   hungry and thirsty, 
          their soul fainted within them. 
6   Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, 
          and he delivered them from their distress; 
7   he led them by a straight way, 
          until they reached an inhabited town.

33  He turns rivers into a desert, 
          springs of water into thirsty ground, 
34   fruitful land into a salty waste, 
          because of the wickedness of its inhabitants. 
35  He turns a desert into pools of water, 
          a parched land into springs of water. 
36  And there he lets the hungry live, 
          and they establish a town to live in; 
37  they sow fields, and plant vineyards, 
          and get a fruitful yield.

Second Reading 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

9You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. 11As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, 12urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

13We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.

Gospel Matthew 23:1-12

1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 5They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. 8But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. 9And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father — the one in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.