Tracy's Blog

This past Sunday's Gospel reading was Luke 18:9-14.  It is an amazing parable which Jesus told to " some who were confident of their own righteousness  and looked down on everyone else ." (verse 9). The parable challenges the religious thinking that people can have merit before God that makes them righteous.  The Pharisee thought he was better than others because he wasn't like "other people" who sinned (vs 11) but instead called attention in his prayer to the things he did that were measurable: fasted two times/week and gave 1/10th of all he got (vs. 12). The other person praying in the temple that day (and to whom the Pharisee compares himself and thought himself better than) was a tax collector.  The tax collector had a posture of contrition and humility.  He wouldn't even look to heaven and was beating his breast.  His prayer was,    ‘ God, have mercy on me, a sinner .’ (vs 13). Jesus goes on to say this about the tax collector: 14...

This past Saturday night I had a wonderful dinner at the Youth for Christ banquet in Selkirk.  As we listened to the great things God is doing in the lives of youth, I realized that I knew the woman who was involved in starting the ministry 30 or so years ago.  The next day I saw her and I asked about how YFC Selkirk started.  She told me an amazing story that involved a dream in which God spoke to her, youth meeting in a banquet hall of a bar, many challenges, and much prayer.  It was the prayer part that I picked up on.  Why?  Because at one point - once they no longer could meet at the banquet hall and a few other things fell through - a group of people met weekly for 2 years to pray for the youth of Selkirk.  Two years!  Finally their prayers were answered and YFC was established in Selkirk at the location they still meet at today.  The youth of today are benefiting from the perseverant prayers of people in the past. It was fitting that...

Happy Thanksgiving!  I know it has been a LONG time since I have blogged and I am not promising that I will do it regularly in this season of my life but here I am today.  Why?  Two reasons: 1) because the Gospel passages of the last two weeks have caught my attention and 2) because a friend said, "Blog!" Today we are headed to Luke 17. This past Sunday's lectionary reading was Luke 17:11-19 .  This is not a surprising text being that it was the Thanksgiving long weekend but it is a startling one.  Only one of the ten lepers who was healed by Jesus thanks Him "- and he was a Samaritan"!   For a second time in this Gospel, Luke challenges readers to not judge who has faith, who is truly worshiping and trusting Jesus.  The Parable of the Good Samaritan  followed shortly after a Samaritan village did not welcome Jesus ( Luke 9:51-56 ),  But unlike the parable, this time it wasn't a story Jesus told.  There was a flesh and blood ma...