we're all sinners

Today we read from Psalm 53:1-3 in the One Year Bible. The reading from the New Testament exemplifies what we hear in the psalms. Peter denies Jesus three times, proving our sinfulness.

But Psalm 53:3 makes it perfectly clear. We are ALL sinners. There isn't ONE perfect person in the world. That's great news, actually. It means no one can look down on you for being a sinner. It also frees YOU from thinking that there are people out there who are horrible monsters that you need to look down on. We are all in the same sinful boat. We are all guilty. We all need forgiveness. We all need mercy. We all need prayer.

So when you hear about some saint who does amazing things - they're a sinner. You can do amazing things, like they do.

When you hear about some evil child molester, they're a sinner. If not for the grace of God, that could be you. Pray for them!

The fact that we're all sinners helps us realize that we're all a family, needing one another for love, forgiveness, grace... and most of all, prayers.

God, thanks for teaching us that we're all in this together.