Episode 217: Two Prayers, One Mercy
The Rev. Dr. Alix Pridgen
The temple must’ve been busy that day — sandals scuffing stone, prayers murmured in the air, incense curling toward heaven. Two men walk in. One stands tall and prays about all the things he’s done right. The other can’t even lift his head. He just whispers seven words: “God, make atonement for me, a sinner.”
And Jesus says that man — the honest one — went home right with God.
Because mercy isn’t something we earn. It’s what meets us when the pretending stops.
We live in a world that rewards performance — say the right thing, post the right cause, look like you’ve got it together. But mercy doesn’t live on the stage. It lives in the quiet places where we tell the truth and discover we’re still loved.
That’s what grace does. It finds us — Pharisee hearts and tax-collector hearts alike — and sends us home lighter, forgiven, and free.
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