St. Bartholomew Church

One of my most favorite lines from the Psalms we hear today - from Psalm 113.  From the dunghill the Lord lifts up the poor. 

          Poverty at it’s heart is a lack of something - usually money, who doesn’t want more of that - but perhaps even more so, it’s a lack of something we need far greater than money - wholeness.  Emotional wholeness, spiritual wholeness, the all consuming love and charity of Jesus - and on that front, we all are lacking.

          As we sit here today, what is the dunghill in your life you need lifted out of?  Chances are there’s more than one.  But what is it that you are lacking?  How are you poor?

          It takes a lot for us to admit our poverty sometimes - we like to puff ourselves up in thinking we are rich in so many ways.  But it is only in admitting our poverty that Jesus ever has a chance of lifting us out of it - because if we don’t admit it, we don’t let Him into our lives - and we get stuck on ourselves, with no room for Jesus. 

          We have to let Him into our messes - we have to let Him into every part of our lives, especially the prideful parts where we try to be our own savior and the master of our own house. We need to embrace our poverty.   

          He’s waiting to lift us up, but we have to let Him.  We have to give Him the room and the space, the time and the fidelity to do that in our lives.  Or, we can just be content playing in our little dunghill.  God help us all! +