• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

215 N. 7th, Terre Haute, Indiana

  • About
    • Welcome!
    • Worship Calendar
    • Live Worship
    • Sermons
    • Clergy & Staff
    • Communication
  • Community
    • Blog
    • News + Events
    • Episcopal Links
    • Links for Study and Devotion
  • Get Involved
    • Give
    • Calendar
    • Ministries
    • Service Committees
  • Members
    • Annual Meeting
    • News
    • Schedule
    • Newsletter
    • The Hope Journal
    • Resources

A Word: No Competition

Sermons · October 27, 2019

The parable of the righteous man is a set-up. And we can’t help falling for it. Because we don’t know what to do with his being wrong.


God’s love isn’t a competitive sport. We’re all on the same team.
Proper 25C
Luke 18:9-14

by the Rev. Drew Downs

No Competition
Photo by Helena Lopes from Pexels

This is a simple parable. A juxtaposition. How two people are different. Its internal logic is obvious. We’re to compare them.

Two people. One follows the rules and the other doesn’t. One is righteous and the other sins.

However, the simplicity of this parable is deceiving. We know Jesus is going to flip the script. So we adjust. By flipping the logic. Or ignoring the logic.

But it’s all a set-up. He uses a juxtaposition to condemn the process of judgment. Here’s why…

The full text may be found here.

For a limited time, the audio may be found here.

Filed Under: Sermons Tagged With: competition, discipleship, Luke 18:9-14, Proper 25C, The Way of Love

Previous Post: « The On Being Project
Next Post: A Word: Brave in Love »

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • The Word Confusion
  • Garden Clean-Up
  • Discipline
  • Being Changed
  • The Invitation
Updates

Keep Up

Footer

CONTACT

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
215 N. 7th St
Terre Haute, IN 47807

812-232-5165

officeadmin@ststephensth.org

ABOUT

St. Stephen’s is a sacramental community following Jesus’s Way of Love.

We worship on Sundays at 8 & 10.

AFFILIATIONS

St. Stephen’s is a member of The Episcopal Church and congregation of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis.

St. Stephen’s is a member of the Wabash Valley Homeless Coalition

PARKING

St. Stephen’s is across from Indiana State University. Nearby parking lots are run by ISU and are free after 5pm weekdays and are free all weekend long. 

Five marked spots in the lot directly behind the church are available during the week.

Copyright © 2023 · Showcase Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in