Proper 19A’26
13 September 2026
Romans 14.1-12
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
North Little Rock, Arkansas
The Rev. Carey Stone <+>
“Judge not, lest you be judged;” In the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. – from Matthew 7.1 King James Version
I found a joke on the internet that seemed to fit with today’s sermon:
It’s about what happened when a German Shepherd, a Doberman, and a cat die and go to heaven.
Upon entering heaven, they face God, who wants to know what each of them believes in.
• The German Shepherd said: “I believe in discipline, training, and loyalty to my master.” God says: “Good! Sit at my right side.”
• The Doberman replied: “I believe in the love, care, and protection of my master.”
God says: “Aha! You may sit to my left.”
• The Cat: God looks at the cat and asks, “And what do you believe in?”
The cat replies: “I believe you’re sitting in my seat.” 1
In St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, it appears we are all more like the cat when it comes to judging others. “Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister?” St. Paul asks.
I’ve been great at it! Why I used to be an expert marriage counselor, until I got married! I was an expert parent, for the life of me, I wondered why parents couldn’t get their acts together and get their kids to church on time, then I became a parent. When I was an Associate Rector, I was an expert on what the Rector should, ought, and needed to be doing, until I became a rector.
Like a person said once, “Man, people are so judgmental these days, Why I can tell just by looking at them!”
Why are we as humans so prone to judging others in spite of Jesus’ ad monition not to? I think both theologians and psychologists would agree, it makes us feel good! It can bolster our low self-esteem and a flagging ego, temporarily at least. Through projection we are able to pin undesirable behaviors that we dislike within ourselves onto other persons. When another person is late, we judge them as being “irresponsible,” when we are late it was due to “bad traffic.” The other person has a character problem, whereas we merely made a mistake. All of this is designed to help us cope with our own deficiencies by make us look better and to make us feel better about ourselves.
More times than we would like to admit religious groups can be good hiding places for those living double lives. I seem to recall the pharisees were masters at pointing out Jesus’ faults and rule breaking.
Psychologist, Mike Robbins notes, “that we are most bothered by the qualities in others that we refuse to accept or face within ourselves.” For instance, a person who deeply fears being perceived as incompetent will be hyper-critical and judgmental of anyone else’s mistakes.2 The seven deadly sins can be triggers for our judgment: pride, envy, greed, wrath lust, gluttony, and sloth, can blind us to our own struggles with the very same issues. Judging others diverts attention away from ourselves and helps us to avoid looking at the wounds that are always underneath our harsh judgments. To acknowledge that we and our neighbors are all broken is a good first step in moving away from judgment.
One of my dear priest friends and mentors Lowell Grisham has wrestled just as all the rest of us have with being judgmental. The following come from his counsels:
“{For the most part} each and every one of us did the best we could, with the insight, resources, and emotional nourishment available to us. If we had more conscious awareness of what makes us tick, more information and alternatives available to us, different life experiences with more love, support, and encouragement, we could have done better. And we would have.”
“Every single human being, at every moment of the past – when the entire situation is taken into account – has done the very best he or she could do, and so deserves neither blame nor shame from anyone – including from the self. This in particular is true of you” (repeat).3
Let yourself off the hook – let them off the hook.
Some of you aware that I am currently working on a book of poetry. One of the poems seemed fitting for today’s sermon, it’s called “TO THE JUDGE.”
First, you are wrong,
although you think you’re not – you are!
You only see from the outside,
but for you that seems enough
for an accurate assessment.
After all, if you were in their position
you would never do what they did
or say what they did, common sense tells you that.
However, and believe me there’s a ‘How’ and ‘ever’,
you never pause to look at what’s backstage,
behind the scenes of their lives.
For if ever you did you would surely know just
how wrong you’ve gotten things.
You ask “How” ‘how could they possibly think that
that is how to go about things?
How did they ever get that job in the first place?!
But you are certain of yourself (or maybe you’re not)
that your thoughts, deeds and self are far better than theirs.
How-Ever, once you peer behind the tragedies and comedies
of their lives, you discover something truly dreadful –
you find out that “they’ are really YOU.
I’d like to close with a short exercise for the practice of non-judgment. Take a moment in silence, sit comfortably and close your eyes if you like.
Now think for a moment of someone you’ve become aware of that you have judged. How would you describe that person? Now ask God to give you a sense of the divine perspective on this same person, and how Jesus is seeking to show them love, and how it is that God may be wanting to show love to them through your presence with them. Take a moment to thank God for anything that’s been revealed and follow any direction that comes. } silence {
Thank you, God, for your patience with us, may we now extend our patience toward those whom we have judged. Amen.
1 https://www.google.com/search?q=joke+about+a+doberman+a+german+shepherd+and+a+cat
2 https://www.google.com/search?q=what+do+theologians+and+psychologists+
3 Sidney & Suzanne Simon, Forgiveness: How to Make Peace with Your Past and Get on With Your Life, p.171