Sin as Self-Righteousness
Dear Mosaic Family,
When you hear about the "self-righteous," who are the first people to come to mind? Pharisees? Fundamentalists? Democrats? Republicans? Vegans? Carnivores? No-carb zealots? Whoever it is, I guarantee you, you didn't think of yourself. You are certainly not self-righteous! You're definitely not like those people!! Oops. We all struggle with the sin of self-righteousness. We are all like the Pharisee in Jesus' parable, who prays: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get."
The sin of self-righteousness is everyone's blind spot, and the longer you're a Christian, and the more successful you are at growing in personal righteousness, the greater your unwitting bent toward self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is the self-satisfaction of being "better than." If you're self-disciplined about your diet and exercise, you feel superior to those who aren't. The more fiscally responsible you are, the more you judge those saddled with credit card debt and auto-payments. The more you read your Bible, pray, go to church, help the poor, the more likely you are to condescendingly look down on the back-sliders and spiritual slackers. We aren't just moral creatures, we're moralistic creatures, and self-righteousness is the default setting of the human heart.
Many of us have learned to repent of our sins. We all need to learn to repent of our righteousness, through which we attempt to earn or sustain our standing before God and others. Join us tomorrow as we study Jonah chapter 4, and attempt to let the Holy Scriptures diagnose and heal our self-righteous hearts.
Praying for you!
Pastor Jan
Upcoming Mini Mosaic Change
Sunday, March 31
Due to an annual Temple Ohabei Shalom event, we are unable to hold Mini Mosaic on March 31st, and will instead hold a family friendly service. Join us for worship!
Join us for Good Friday
Friday, April 19, 7 p.m.
Join us for a Good Friday service at the Temple as we remember the life and death of Jesus Christ in preparation for Easter Sunday. Childcare is available, though children are welcome to join the service.
Child Dedication Service
Sunday, May 12, 9:30 a.m.
We will be holding our next child dedication service on Mother's Day. If you are a member and interested in having your infant or young child dedicated, contact Raquel@MosaicBoston.com for an application. Applications are due by April 28th.
Volunteer with Kids Summer Nights!
Weeknights, July 22-26, 6-8 p.m.
We are already starting to recruit for our VBS program, Kids Summer Nights! If you are interested in serving on one of our teams this summer, please contact Raquel: Raquel@MosaicBoston.com.
Songs for Sunday
If you would like to know what we'll be singing on Sunday, you can find the playlist here.