"The measure which you measure..."

Today's readings: Daniel 9:4-10; Psalm 79:8,9,11,13; Luke 6:36-38

There are some great readings today.  I keep getting stuck on the first reading from Daniel.  It would be awesome if I had a printer so I could print it off and put it somewhere I will notice it every day.  Because this would be the most honest prayer I could pray.  I have included it because I think it is something we need to be willing to say.  First it praises God for being constant and true to us.  Then it admits that we are sinners.  After that, Daniel tugs at the mercy of God and begs that is how God deals with us.  It is so powerful!  Here it is (Dan 9:4-10)

"Lord, great and awesome God,

you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you

and observe your commandments!

We have sinned, been wicked and done evil;

we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.

We have not obeyed your servants the prophets,

who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes,

our fathers, and all the people of the land.

Justice, O Lord, is on your side;

we are shamefaced even to this day:

we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem,

and all Israel, near and far,

in all the countries to which you have scattered them

because of their treachery toward you.

O LORD, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers,

for having sinned against you.

But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!

Yet we rebelled against you

and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God,

to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets.”

And then after that we get the Psalm for today:  “Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.”   It then asks God not to look at our past sins but to deliver and pardon us. 

How bold these two prayers are!  Again, I wish that most of my prayers can be that bold.  But, it is a reality that we must learn.  If we can’t admit that we have sinned, then we won’t be able to reach out to God completely and allow him to pick us up.  We have to be honest.  As we continue on with Lent, it is going to become more and more difficult to live in our sacrifices.  We are going to yearn more and more for life to be like it is outside of Lent.  But, we have to lean on our Savior, look to his example, and beg him to help us remain true to our commitments-the biggest one being a commitment to change…to give our life to God more completely.

And then the Gospel for today is a little frightening.  I usually find that I try to beg God not to do what Jesus says will be done. 

"Stop judging and you will not be judged.

Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven.

Give and gifts will be given to you;

a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,

will be poured into your lap.

For the measure with which you measure

will in return be measured out to you.”

So many times in life I do something and then think, “did I really just say that?  Did I just make that comment?  Did I give that look?  Am I really that concerned with putting them down that I forgot how to behave?”  And, we all have those times that we wish we could take back.  Often times we want to be given more than we give, to be treated better/with more respect than we give others (our coworkers, bosses, family, friends, public workers, etc).  Jesus gives us a simple way to help us be treated better…treat other people better. 

I actually try to help my students to understand this in their life.  Throughout my life it has seemed that the people that others side with/flock to don’t end up being those that appear to be at the top of the social ladder…but instead are the ones that are genuinely kind to all people.  If someone has that personality, they get along with everyone.  They are treated with respect, because that is how they treat people.  This is a lived reality!  Jesus tells us this, and we can see it in our lives.

We are given a choice today (as we are every day).  We can continue to live our lives as if we are not in need of a Savior.  We can continue to behave as we always have, and deal with the heartache and pain alone. 

OR...
We can be honest with ourselves and God.  We can admit that we are sinners, and BEG God to be merciful on us.  We can allow his love and compassion to transform our lives so that we give to others what they need and deserve, give to others and help them to see the glory of God.  And, our lives can become truly new!  Truly joyful!  Truly amazing!