July 15, 2022 — Words of Wisdom, Champfleury (French Author and Art Critic)

“A kitten is the delight of a household. All day long a comedy is played out by an incomparable actor.” –Champfleury

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in you stop them. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” Matthew 23:13-15

Acting the Part

Those who go into acting study their craft for many years before they may find true success. They may take parts in local plays, college performances and even off, off, off Broadway plays using each opportunity to hone their craft.

The other day I was reading the obituary of a man whom his children ended the “tribute” with words similar to the fact that he did no more than act the part of a father: “…he was a father to many but a dad to none”. There are many roles in which we play in life where we just cannot “act” the part. Jesus accused the scribes and the Pharisees of just the same saying, in part, that they denounce others of behaviors in which they also participate. In other words, they were truly hypocrites. As I am writing this devotion Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson is suffering from his actions that proved not only that he lied about his actions during the pandemic, but that he truly played the part of the hypocrite – telling others to do one thing while he refused to do the same.

Jesus is looking for each person to make a reckoning of their behavior and to make honest repentance for their actions. For even in the word “repentance” there is the demand and the expectation that our actions reverse course. If they do not, then we play the hypocrite. As we have heard over and over again, if we are going to talk the talk of our faith then we need to walk the walk of that faith as well.

Let us pray,

Lord Christ, it is always hard to stick with change – to follow the course of true repentance. Give me the strength today not only to talk the talk of my faith, but to walk that walk as well. Amen.

Pastor Dave