GLEANINGS from the Daily Office – Woe! Whoa!

GLEANINGS (from the Daily Office) – Woe! Whoa! – Year One, Proper 28, Thursday, November 19, 2015, Matthew 18:1-9

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin!”

“It is necessary that temptation come.” Jesus does not mince words. He uses no nuance here. Temptation is part and parcel to this life. That will not change. Good. It is not my job to eradicate it.

“But woe to the man by whom the temptation comes.” No nuance here either. I may not be responsible for eradicating sin. But I am clearly responsible for being an instrument of temptation. Temptation experienced by others may not, no must not, come through me. This is especially true of children. Woe to me if I incline children to sin.

This reminds me of a country song sung by Rodney Atkins. In it a father realizes just how influential he is. The dad has to slam on the brakes and his son’s fries went a flying and his orange drink covered his lap. This is what happened next:

“Well, then my 4 year old said a 4 letter word
It started with ‘S’ and I was concerned
So I said, Son, now whered you learn to talk like that?

He said, Ive been watching you, dad aint that cool?
Im your buckaroo, I want to be like you
And eat all my food, and grow as tall as you are”

The Song? “Watchin you.”

Coarse language is at times in the eyes of the beholder. But how many times in my life have I by my actions inclined my children to dishonor God or, more subtly, to act as if He doesn’t exist? Woe to this man. He gets a millstone and a sea to cover him.

Lots of woes! Whoa!

–Frodo: “I wish none of this had happened.” Gandalf: “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”–

Grace Community worships on Sundays at 9:00 AM in the China Grove Baptist Church, 3187 Osborne Road, Brookhaven, Georgia, 30319.