Sunday morning, back in Texas. It's hot. *Read that with the most annoying whine you can muster!
My favorite Psalm!
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirst for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. Verses 1-4
Some of you will recognize this as the inspiration for Beaker's words that Rich Mullins sang in "Step By Step."
Matthew 15:1-14
Jesus and the Pharisess have a little argument over "the rules." The Pharisees accuse Jesus' disciples of playing "fast and loose" with "the rules." But Jesus turns it back around on the Pharisees and, in turn, accuses them of using their own rules to "play fast and loose with God's commands."
How often to we resemble the Pharisees? More than we would like to admit, I dare say. As church bodies, how often do we create our own "rules" that supercede God's commands?
What about differences between denominations? I spent years in a Southern Baptist church that never observed any part of the "church calendar" except for Easter and Christmas. If it even looked Catholic, we wouldn't have any part of it. I have yet to be part of a church that regularly observes Advent.
Then later in life, I was part of churches that resisted anything that looked Charismatic.
I've seen people look down their noses at other Christians because they are part of a "denomination." They take pride in their "non-denomination-ness."
Do we react like Pharisees when we point the finger across the divide and say, "Those people aren't doing it right!" Whatever "it" is.
Hear the words of Isaiah that Matthew quotes:
These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn't in it.
They act like they're worshiping me, but they don't mean it.
They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy.
I have to stop and ask myself if this describes me. Does it describe you? Does it describe your church or your "denomination?" We must be careful that what we teach is Biblical. We must examine our beliefs constantly to make sure they line up with the teachings of Jesus. Long ago, in my life, I realized that I was believing some things that weren't even in the Bible. Things that Jesus just didn't teach. I got rid of those beliefs. There are even a few things, if you asked me, "What do you believe about so and so..." I would have to answer, "I'm not sure, yet. Get back with me on that one later." It's no crime to say, "I'm not sure." or "I don't know." But some folks are so prideful that they have made up answers to the questions that they can't answer. Then these same people turn around and criticize other believers for things that they might not understand at all.
We should not be so quick to join Jesus in Pharisee-bashing. We must remember that Jesus alone sees the heart. We can't. We can only see the outside. I cannot say for sure what anyone is feeling or thinking. I can only see the actions. And I cannot truly know the motivations behind the actions. Some do have the gift of discernment, but not all of us do. So we must trust Jesus and love all people equally.
There is the tough part of this issue. Let's let our hearts be in our worship.
Grace and peace, friends.