August 13, 2024
Dear Friends,
Let’s think about comparison.
On the one hand, there’s the absolutely vile kind of comparison that was displayed by the Pharisee in Sunday’s Gospel lesson: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men” (Luke 18:11). How would you describe this? Maybe – comparing yourself with others (honestly or dishonestly) in order to prop yourself up, to make yourself feel better, and to make it easier for you to ignore your own sins, faults, and weaknesses. This leads us to be proud before God and uncharitable towards our neighbors. We imagine that we can stand up tall in God’s presence and look down on our brothers and sisters. Terrible!
There’s another kind of comparison that is especially common, no surprise, in our day of social media. Research has demonstrated what is really pretty obvious – comparing yourself to others can be a recipe for despair. When the information you consume is pictures and stories about all your friends and family and famous people who are living their best lives now with all the blemishes touched up and the rough moments smoothed over, how can you help but feel like you’re a failure. It turns out this has particularly negative effects on teenage girls.
The cure for these two kinds of comparison is to have our eyes fixed first on Jesus. He is the model of perfection – perfect righteousness, goodness, faith, and love. We have no hope of measuring up to his standard (“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Rom. 3:23), but that need not propel us into despair. After all, he has given us all of his perfection as a gift (“. . .and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” Rom. 3:24). He means for us to see ourselves as we truly are (fallen, lost, and hopeless) so that he can save us from sin and death to lead us into life.
And at that point, a third kind of comparison is possible that’s actually rather helpful. We can look at the example of Christ and of faithful Christian men and women and aspire to be like them. The comparison can spur us on to faith and good works. The comparison allows us to see what is right now and what’s possible in Christ. Paul teaches us what it looks like when we faithful strive to follow in the footsteps of the saints and our Savior:
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith–
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 3:8-14)
God bless and keep you,
Pr. Buchs
COMING EVENTS:
Wednesday, August 14
9:30 am – Chapel
10:00 am – Bible Study
7:00 pm – Vespers
Sunday, August 18
9:00 am – Divine Service
10:30 am – Bible Study
Tuesday, August 20
9am-1pm – Pastor @ Circuit Meeting
Wednesday, August 21
9:30 am – Chapel
10:00 am – Bible Study
7:00 pm – Vespers
Sunday, August 25
9:00 am – Divine Service
10:30 am – Bible Study
Saturday, September 21
4:30 – 6:30 pm – Pork Chop Dinner