Integrity Report
Matthew 5:20-26
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister, has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
What are your core values? Have you ever sat down to actually name them? They might include values like accountability, compassion, generosity, simplicity, tradition, and so on. If you type in the words “core values” into a search engine, you’ll be inundated with lists of words to choose from.
Often people engaged in leadership programs spend time deciding what their core values are, because ideally they use their core values to guide decision making, and core values can be a compass to discern if one is living a life of integrity.
Habit specialist James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, conducts a yearly integrity report because, as he says, “these reports provide a reason for me to revisit my core values and consider if I have been living in a sincere way. Basically, [they] help me answer the question, “Am I actually living like the type of person I claim to be?”
There are three main questions that he answers in his Integrity Report:
1. What are the core values that drive my life and work?
2. How am I living and working with integrity right now?
3. How can I set a higher standard in the future?
Our scripture passage for today jump in mid-stream of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In this portion, Jesus is essentially asking all those who hear or read his words to conduct their own integrity report.
Even as Jesus is working out of the Jewish tradition of following the law and the prophets, he is telling them that a basic following of the instructions isn’t enough. Our passage starts with the zinger, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Ooof!
The scribes and Pharisees pride themselves as fulfilling every detail of the law. They devote their whole lives to it, so how could we, who have jobs and families and lives, expect our own righteousness to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees?
We can’t. And that’s not what Jesus is asking for. What Jesus is asking for is to move beyond checking the no box when asked “did I murder anyone today?” Didn’t murder anyone? Then you’re good! At least according to the law.
But not according to Jesus. You may not have murdered, but what about the root of murder? As one commentator notes:
“No longer do the teachings on murder… apply strictly to acts of murder… Instead, they become doorways into the examination of many internal dynamics as well as external behaviors of one’s life: anger, derision, slander, false generosity, litigiousness, arrogance….”1
Jesus asks us to go deeper into the law and engage it with the core values of love and mercy and justice. And when we mess up, because we’re always going to mess up, to make amends. To consider our own actions and how they can either destroy or build up community.
Perhaps in these days of Lent, it’s worth conducting our own integrity reports. Starting by naming your core values—narrow the list down till you have two or three. Then ask how you are upholding those values in your life and work, and how you can live into them in a deeper way. And while James Clear may stop his integrity report there, Jesus doesn’t, and neither should we. Ask where you have hurt a sibling or neighbor by not living fully into your values, and go make amends. Bring restoration and wholeness back to your community. Amen.
prayer
Let us pray that as we engage the season of Lent we embrace the opportunity to:
Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
Fast from worries and have trust in God.
Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
Fast from bitterness and fill our hearts with joy.
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.
Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
Fast from words and be silent so we can listen.
We pray that
our only desire
and our one choice
is to choose
what better leads
to the deepening
of God’s life in us.
We ask the lord to guide our decisions today and to bless our Community with His peace, His joy, His love.
—Attributed to Pope Francis
Daily Lenten meditations each have a companion morning prayer video offered by the same clergy. View the YouTube playlist to find this meditation’s companion video, or to watch others.