Associate Pastor Chris Lenshyn summarized his sermon from last Sunday as follows:
Jesus told parables to provoke the divine imaginations of people in the world of 1st century Palestine. The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector praying in the Temple is no different. This parable offers us an opportunity to encounter the assumptions that we have of people who may or may not be different than us. The Temple was where God resided. The Pharisee held status in the Jewish world as a faithful steward of the faith. On the other hand, the Tax Collector was the consummate villain as he was responsible for collecting taxes for the Roman empire. Two competing systems–the Temple system which was central to Jewish life, and the Roman empire, which held political power during this time–both represented in two people in the Temple, which was the space where God resided. Even though the Tax Collector was a despised member of society, he was ultimately welcomed into God’s presence, contrary to the assumptions of the Pharisee. The call is for us to be repentant of our assumptions, and be a people who encounter and embrace people who are different than us.
Thanks very much to Chris for his poignant message. You can listen to it here, or click here and follow the instructions to download and listen later.