SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 2008

THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

________________________________________________

Dear Friends in Our Lord Jesus:

More than 120 years ago, the Rt. Rev. Henry Potter, bishop of New York, sailed for Europe on one of the great transoceanic liners. As the bishop boarded the ship, he learned an important lesson that later made its way into a number of his sermons.

The lesson is this: It is very dangerous to judge others by their appearance.

According to the story, the bishop discovered upon boarding that he would be sharing a cabin with another passenger. This was not an uncommon occurrence in the late 19th Century, so it did not cause concern for the bishop. Instead, he walked to his cabin, met his fellow traveler, put a few things on his bed, checked out the other accommodations on the ship, and then paid a visit to the purser’s desk. He asked if he could leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ship’s safe.

The good bishop was a bit embarrassed. He explained that he was a trusting person, ordinarily, but that his cabin mate did not seem to be very reliable or trustworthy. It would be safer for all, he said, if he simply left his valuables in the safe.

The purser understood completely.

He took the bishop’s valuables, wrote out a receipt, and then said this: “It’s all right, bishop. I’ll be very glad to take care of them for you. The other man has just been up here and left his valuables . . . for the same reason.”

The Lord Jesus had this to say about judging others (Matthew 7:1-3,5): “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged. And the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? . . . You hypocrite! Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

-- The Very Rev. Dr. Steve Sellers +