John Koza

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like white-washed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth.  So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
—Matthew 23: 27-28.

Dear friends in Christ,

I find these verses fascinating, in that they address what is internal and not what is external. 

Although I am far, far from being a Bible scholar, I can’t think off the top of my head of another scripture that addresses what is internal. Perhaps I should re-read the book of James, which I think of as the Instruction Manual on how to be a good Christian.  

So, why this scripture as we approach the Third Sunday in Advent?

As Advent is the time of preparation before Christmas, our preparing for the coming of our Savior,  my guess is we are being shown the need to prepare ourselves internally. It nudges me to look at my optic of the world. Yes, I mean the good, the bad and the ugly.

What posture or stance do I take when communicating with others? What language do I use? Do I pray for the people and situations that need prayer, or do I just criticize? Just what is going on for me internally? And can I make some minor shifts to improve my internal? I think so.

—John