Jesus' Comedy Writing

 Scripture

 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  (Luke 18:9-13 NRSV)

 Jesus’ Comedy Writing

 “Let’s stand together and sing that great worship chorus ‘I Am So Good’” announced the somewhat self-aggrandizing worship leader many years ago. When the audience burst out in raucous laughter, he still needed to be told that he meant to introduce “God is So Good”.

 I hope that brought a smile to your face – we need a laugh or two right now. And maybe even a bit of laughing at ourselves when we pronounce about what “they” ought to be doing or not doing during this pandemic. It’s good to do critical thinking but it helps to blend it with a dose of humility.

Jesus knows my inside voice is often not that different from my worship leading friend’s. He crafts a story of a religious guy we can see inflating as Jesus lets him talk. His self-congratulation leads to comparison and judgment.

There’s a lot of that going on right now and we need a bit of laughter and humility to get along with one another – while making good decisions and sound policy. If you want the right answers just ask me…

A Prayer for Today

O God, you didn’t observe us from a distance, you walked among us. You know our predisposition on some days to be self-congratulatory and others devastatingly self-critical. Help us to know your love and patience with us and to find a healthy balance of self-awareness and kindness for others …. For Jesus’ sake.