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Changing a Facade Doesn’t Change Anything… but….
Devotional Thought of the Day:
9 Jesus also told this parable to people who were sure of their own goodness and despised everybody else. 10 “Once there were two men who went up to the Temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood apart by himself and prayed, ‘I thank you, God, that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer, like everybody else. I thank you that I am not like that tax collector over there. 12 I fast two days a week, and I give you one tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even raise his face to heaven, but beat on his breast and said, ‘God, have pity on me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you,” said Jesus, “the tax collector, and not the Pharisee, was in the right with God when he went home. For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.” Luke 18:9-14 (TEV)
440 Your character is so uneven! Your keyboard is out of order. You play very well on the high notes and on the low notes… but no sound comes from the ones in the middle, the ones used in ordinary life, the ones people normally hear. (1)
As I was driving to breakfast this morning, I notice the shopping center’s construction was well underway. They weren’t building new stores, or making major renovations to the facility. Just updating the frontal facades of all the stores. Trying to make it look less like the 1980’s-1990’s and more modern. The stores themselves won’t change, still a supermarket, a good mexican restaurant, a couple of banks, yogurt shop, coffee shop, etc. The substance will stay the same, only the packaging is changing, and probably at a significant cost to someone. Eventually it will cost the tax-payers and customers of those businesses.
At breakfast, I read an article about the restaurants that get a “make-over” by Gordon Ramsey, the chef and entrepreneur. Over 60 percent of them still fail, even as he invests money in them, making over the restaurant, the menu, the staffs. Even so, there are things he cannot address in one week, the heart and soul of the owners and employees. The substance still stays the same.
Then I read St Josemaria this morning, and the passage from Luke popped into my mind…..
You see, we all put up facades, even those of us who trust in Jesus, and the work He did when He saved us. We put them up, trying to make people think (or even worse – make ourselves think) that everything will be all right, that everything is fine, that all is well in our world. That business as usual is good and prosperous and everything will be all right.
The problem is that facades don’t change the substance, and they don’t really change the image we have of what lies behind it. What was there is still there. If it is poor business practices, it still will be. If it is lousy customer service, well then, that will still be the case. If it is sin, it is sin. Or if it is the missing strings that betray a weak faith in the basic areas of life, then those two will be missing. The pharisee will still be the pharisee, the hypocrite will still be the hypocrite.
Don’t bother changing the facade….it won’t change you! To cause true change, the building has to be leveled, Death must come, and re-birth has to happen. Faith is trusting God to kill us off, and to raise us to life in Christ. Faith is trusting that this is what the cross is all about, that are being unified to that cross in baptism is what this is all about. To know the new creation we have become, is because God has done this. To walk away, knowing that because of His love, God has declared us innocent, clean, His.
He removes not just the facade, He changes more the menu, He takes those who are pharisees and tax-collectors, cuts our their heart of stone… and replaces it with one of flesh. He puts in us His Holy Spirit, who transforms us…..He declares us justified, and holy, cleansed and set apart to walk with Him….
Lord, have mercy on us, poor sinners… and thank you for making us saints! AMEN!
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 1957-1959). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
The Emperor’s New Clothes, or the Lord’s?
The Emperor’s New Clothes,
Or the Lord’s?
Colossians 3:12
† In Jesus Name †
As you walk through this life, knowing Jesus walks beside you, may you be transformed evermore into His likeness
Our reading today that I will focus on was the first reading – it is there reprinted on the screen in the Bible translation that I used at home.
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience
One of my favorite writers about ministry in the church is often confused as a children’s writer. His name was Hans Christian Anderson, and if you haven’t heard of him, you might have heard of His stories. In fact, I am writing a book using one of his stories as the skeleton right now – about how to help broken churches that aren’t what they were once. It’s called “Stone Soup Ministry”
But back to today – Hans tells a story about a emperor – who is bored with his usual fancy clothes, and tells all the tailors and fashion designers to come up with something new or they will be sent to his dungeons. To make the fable a bit shorter – one proposes something so spectacular – so amazing – that will make the King look so good – that only super smart people will be able to see it.
The King, a very proud man, falls for the trick and is afraid to announce that He can’t see them himself. Soon he is going about completely naked, convinced that he is wearing top not clothing! Others, wanting to prove they are just that smart – just that sophisticated – do the very same thing!
Soon all the “right people” are walking about naked, as they buy the clothes from this con artist as well. They had to fit in, had to keep up appearances… until
Along came the town pastor – a simple brilliant man who cared more for his people than he did the personal harm that can come from pointing out people’s nakedness… and as people heard and believed they were again clothed with the real clothes…
To Do With Us?
You might be thinking – what is the crazy American pastor talking about – how does this have to do with the church? And as I’ve preached in a lot of places – from Shenzhen China to the Los Angeles Jail system to my nice safe church in Cerritos, I would say it has to do with us far more than we think!
Many of us, most of us, don’t dress physically in the emperor’s new clothes, but we do spiritually. We take in the latest fad in Christianity, we learn all the right phrases, we learn how to act like strong believers in the army of God.
Except that we are hiding from God, and sometimes from our pastors and church leaders, who can sometime hide from each other. You might be saying,
But pastor, you really don’t know us yet, we are very spiritually mature, we know our scripture, we have everything under control here! We listen to our pastor’s every word – and run to him when we need help.
Rather than argue, I’ll ask what Paul mentioned… have you put on:
Tender-hearted mercy,
Kindness,
Gentleness
Patience?
Do you exhibit these things, as we say in the states – 24/7/365?
I tend to be blunt – so I ask, are we, and I include us pastors in this as well – wearing the Emperor’s Spiritual Clothes?
Don’t worry – you don’t have to ask if everyone else knows, or if I told Pastor about which sins I know you committed this week, it is not time to run out the door, or throw stones at me.
You see – we each get into these modes occasionally. We go through times were we are struggling with sin, and are afraid to ask for help – even from pastor’s God has given to us for this very thing! ( later see John 20, James 5 and 1 John 1 about this )
We all sinned – most of us on the way to church this morning – some of us since we’ve been here. Disagree with me? Fine – run through just the ten commandments and ask yourself if you did what it said not to do – or didn’t what God patterned you to do. Not just in action, but in thought and word!
The Gospel Begins!
So what do we do? How do we live a real Christ-like life?
Or How do we Put on the Lord’s Clothes rather than the emperor’s new clothes?
The answer is found in Christ – and in living in Him – consider these passagesGalatians 3:27 (NLT) 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on the character of Christ, like putting on new clothes.
Were you baptized in Christ – united with Him? Learn the promises of God’s work done there! They are amazing! His promises!
Lk 24:49 — And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Clothed with power from on high refers to the church on the day of Pentecost as God pours out His Spirit upon the 120. But that promise was extended as well to every believer that day, as the gift of the Holy Spirit was received!
There is more! Scripture over and over uses this theme of being clothed!
Ephesians 4:23-24 (NLT) 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
Colossians 3:10 (NLT) 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.
Romans 13:14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I LOVE that last one passage, about clothing yourself in the presence of Christ. That is what will be the key to our life, the key to our being clothed, and not naked and ashamed!
Being a Christian isn’t about putting on false acts, pretending to be holy and pious. Even those words, we don’t really understand – for being holy means to be separated for a special purpose, in this case a special relationship.
I want to go back to the original verse – the one that told us we needed to be dressed in a certain way… Hear it again…
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience..
Look at the part underlined there – Since God chose YOU to be the Holy People! He called you into this wondrous relationship, this incredible blessed think we call, “abiding in Christ”! This life walking with the Spirit dwelling within us!
That is wear we find our real spiritual clothes! They don’t by our own strength or maturity, they are not found in the latest Christian fad, they are not in putting up acts!
We are made His, chosen by Him, not because of our pretty imaginary spirituality, but chosen in the midst of, as Adam and Eve were, naked and ashamed.
So you’ve been naked and ashamed – have you? Ready to admit it? Then let’s do this God’s way – one more verse…then we shall pray….
