Saint You
When we went to Israel a few years ago, I asked our guide if we could go to Jericho. It was not on our itinerary, but I really wanted to go. It is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is the lowest city in the world. And I love the story of Jesus calling Zaccheus out of the sycamore tree.
We visited a store that is adjacent to the archaeological site of the original city. It has an observation deck where you can go up three or four floors and see the site from above. One of the interesting facts is that the walls fell outwards. If an invading army were to storm the walls and break through them, they would have fallen inward.
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High Anxiety
Jesus said, “Do not be afraid.” That little phrase touches many hearts immediately. We all know fear, we all would rather not have it. His teaching has shaped our culture for centuries. Nevertheless, we have a severe and growing anxiety problem in this country, and it is hitting our children, teens and young adults hardest of all.
Last fall, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt published “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.” He documents what he calls a “surge of suffering” among young teens that began to take off in 2011. Rates of mental illness, particularly anxiety and depression, have more than doubled, up to almost 30% of girls by 2020, as we got to the pandemic.
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Prayer Shapes Us
We rejoin Jesus this morning just after he told Martha that her sister, Mary, had “chosen the better part” in listening to him. The very next line in Luke’s Gospel tells us that Jesus went to a certain place to pray, choosing “the better part” of time with his Father for himself.
His disciples then ask him, “Lord, teach us how to pray.” On one level, that seems unnecessary. Prayer is simply talking to God, aiming our spoken or unspoken prayers to him. So, do that.
When people hear that I was a CPA for 12.5 years and changed careers soon after making partner in our firm, they tend to have one of two reactions. Either they think it sounds very noble, or they think I was crazy. I’m not sure about that, but it was very painful and became a critical time of prayer.
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