Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 19 Year B (RCL) 2009
Isaiah 50: 4 – 9a; Psalm 116: 1 – 8; James 3: 1 – 12; Mark 8: 27 – 38
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Parish, Portland, OR
Sunday, September 13, 2009

WHO IS IT ALL ABOUT?

Let us pray: God of the burning bush, the thunder rolling across the mountains and the still small voice, we long to know who you really are. Throughout the history of our relationship with you we have struggled to know you ….the name that cannot be named; the peace that cannot be comprehended – the force and spirit that moves like the wind and can never be captured. Help us to be content in our limited knowledge. Remind us that we can compare you to things which we comprehend and probably will never fully comprehend you until we meet face to face. In the Messiah, the Anointed One you made your fullest revelation to us and it is that revelation we wish to embrace in community with you and each other. Reveal to us in your Holy One the mystery and majesty of the working out of your plan for salvation and the perfection of our lives with you. Amen.

(SUNG) JOY AT THE START, FEAR IN THE JOURNEY
JOY AT THE COMING HOME
A PART OF THE HEART GETS LOST IN THE LEARNING
SOMEWHERE ALONG THE ROAD

ALONG THE ROAD YOUR PATH MAY WANDER
YOUR PILGRIM’S FAITH MAY FAIL
ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER
DARKNESS OBSCURES THE TRAIL

The author of Mark’s telling of the Gospel continues the narrative of the ever moving and wandering itinerant rabbi from Nazareth. The Jesus revealed in this Gospel account is clearly on the move. Since the beginning of this telling Jesus has traveled from Nazareth to the banks of the Jordan, to Galilee and Capernaum, to the country of the Gerasenes, to Genesaret, to Tyre and Sidon, to Bethsaida, and now to Cesarea Philippi. The twelve have followed their teacher up and down mountains, and across the sea and back again. All along the way Jesus has been teaching and revealing more about his ministry though often through the vieled approach of parables and stories. Healings and exorcisims have marked the days of these journeys; feeding and preaching to ever growing crowds of the desperate and downtrodden of the society; Jesus moves ever forward to the destiny of events which will culminate at the cross in Jerusalem when the journey will come to rest. We can imagine conversations between them as they travel and, in fact, we are let in on some of those conversations. Jesus spends time with the twelve revealing meanings behind the metaphors of the parables, and telling them how they are to act and behave when they approach a new village to spread the good news. The conversation on this day in the journey however takes a different turn. This conversation which they have on the way toward the villages of Cesarea Phillipi will be like no other – this will be a conversation about identity; not what Jesus does or says – rather who Jesus is and what that means for them and consequently for us.

This encounter between Jesus and the inner circle of followers goes to the root of what Jesus needs to impart about his ministry and the consequences of that ministry for them in the continuation of the journey toward Calvary. In the context of our modern day understanding this would be a conversation that turns to “all about me.” We all know examples of the self absorbed neighbor or friend who turns at one point in the conversation and says, “well that’s enough about me. Let’s talk about you – what do you think of me?” It is not exactly in that exaggerated of a style, but yes Jesus does draw the conversation in and turn it to find how much of the lessons and parables, the healings and miracles his followers have been able to understand in terms of what they reveal about the true nature of his ministry. “Who do people say that I am?” How do you suppose your friends would answer that question? I imagine the responses going something like, “oh, he’s that short irish looking balding guy whose the priest over at that church by the 405.” We can gain a great deal of perspective on who we are - or more probably who we project ourselves to be by asking those closest to us what their impressions of us are. I find it rather interesting in my work that when I meet someone for the first time, someone who has come into my office to talk about questions on their spiritual journey – and I ask them to tell me something about themselves, 99% of the time the initial response will be what they do to earn a paycheck, or explain why they can’t or don’t earn a paycheck anymore. Our society has so ingrained in us the Protestant work ethic that our identity becomes firmly entrenched in our work. How refreshing it might be to have someone reply, “I’m a child of God who is struggling to figure out where that God wants me to go.”

(SUNG) CURSING THE QUEST, COURTING DISASTER
MEASURELESS NIGHT FORBODE.
MOMENTS OF REST, GLIMPSES OF LAUGHTER
ARE TREASURED ALONG THE ROAD

ALONG THE ROAD, YOUR STEPS MAY STUMBLE
YOUR THOUGHTS MAY START TO STRAY
BUT THROUGH IT ALL A HEART HELD HUMBLE
LEVELS AND LIGHTS YOUR WAY.

So Jesus enters this “all about me” territory to discover how much the followers have gained in insight and understanding of who Jesus is and what Jesus represents. The disciples share with him what they have heard. They are the ones who keep their ears open for the moods of the crowds and for the ordering of those whom they will allow to get closest to the teacher. “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” Reflecting the influence that the baptizer John had on the crowds of this time and the close link between John’s ministry and Jesus’ – many in the crowds identify Jesus with his cousin. Next Jesus is identified with the Hebrew prophets – note that the disciples reflect that the crowds do not think that Jesus is “a” prophet – rather that Jesus is one of “the” prophets. Expectation for the return of Elijah who had ascended to God without first dying was great in the lore and myth of the Jewish people. These are the stories and whisperings of the masses about Jesus since he first started moving among them. Jesus, however, wants to go deeper into this identity conversation and so the second part of the question is asked; “But who do you say that I am?” Here is where the “rubber will meet the road” to use a metaphor well beyond the context of the disciples time. Jesus wishes to know how much this band of rag tag fisherfolk have assimilated of what they have been taught. The readers know, we’ve read the author of Mark’s prologue; but the disciples have not. All the disciples have to go on are the signs and wonders which have been occurring wherever Jesus goes. Some hints have dropped for them – back in Chapter 2, the tenth verse Jesus says, “but so that you may know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” and again in verse 28, “so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.” In chapter 4, they are told by Jesus that they have been “given the secret of the Kingdom of God”. Again those hints are veiled and the secret obscure for uneducated common laborers like the disciples. So Peter, who we can assume is answering for all of them says “you are the Messiah”. That word, with all its baggage for the Jewish people now becomes associated for the first time in this Gospel telling with Jesus and his ministry.

Now Jesus begins to “unpack” the meaning of that word as it is used to reflect his ministry on earth. Jesus will not be the “Messiah” which the great majority of the Jewish people expect. Messiah means “annointed one” and comes from the tradition of the kings and priests who were set aside by God for the service of God and sealed by ritual annointing with oils and in that annointing are empowered for their ministry. What was expected then around the messiah was perhaps a return of a great King – or the fulfillment of the visions and promises of the great prophets wherein the people of Israel would become a great nation and the ruler of nations. Rather, Jesus reveals for them the suffering servant image from Isaiah’s prophesies and explains that he will fulfill that promise – that he will be scorned and rejected and killed and three days after rise again. This is far beyond any of their ability to comprehend, so once more Peter acts on their behalves and takes Jesus aside to rebuke him we’re told. Peter, ever Peter I can just hear him – “now teacher you don’t want to go and get everybody upset like that….we have no intention of letting you get into the hands of the chief priests and the scribes and getting yourself killed; and, by the way dead is dead, people don’t come back three days after their dead”. But the question of Jesus’ identity is too important for Jesus to ignore any longer. The twelve, at least, must be made to understand what is going to happen in the days ahead. The rebuke switches sides and Jesus now rebukes Peter and his attempt to avoid the reality of the sacrifices which must be made to bring about the promised Kindom of God. So, Jesus calls the crowd in addition to the disciples and begins to teach the reality of the Cross – not only the Cross that Jesus must bear but also the cross that each of those who want to call themselves followers must bear for the sake of the Gospel.

(SUNG) JOY AT THE START, FEAR IN THE JOURNEY
JOY IN THE COMING HOME
A PART OF THE HEART, GETS LOST IN THE LEARNING
SOMEWHERE ALONG THE ROAD
SOMEWHERE ALONG THE ROAD

I share with you the story of Georgene Johnson. Georgene was living in Cleveland OH when she turned 42 years old. She decided that if she had to be 42 years old she was at least going to be a solid and healthy 42 years old. So Georgene decided to exercise and focus on maintaining a good healthy life – as part of her exercise routine she began to run. Every day she would run and slowly she began to get better and better at her running. Georgene thought that a little competition might help to motivate her running and so she entered a 10K run. For those of you, like me, who have no idea what that distance is, its about 6 miles. Not too challenging, but challenging enough for a beginning runner. Nervous about her first race, she arrived early and much to her surprise there were already a lot of people milling around, stretching their limbs and warming up for the race. All of a sudden a voice on the microphone said “move to the starting line”. This is it, she thought, a gun sounded and they were off like a huge wave, hundreds of runners, sweeping her up, Georgene was in the race. After about four miles it occurred to her that they ought to be turning around and heading back to the finish line. She stopped and asked an official “how come the course isn’t turning around?” Then came the reply from the race official, “Ma’am this is the Cleveland Marathon, you have about 24 miles to go.” Georgene’s event, the 10K was to start a half hour after the start of the marathon. Some of us would have stopped right there and said that’s it, I’m going home. To Georgene’s credit she kept right on going, and finished the race. She said this, “this is not the race I trained for. This is not the race I entered. But for better or worse, this is the race that I’m in.”

This was not the journey which the disciples had set out on, this was not the journey which they had visioned. This was not what Peter had bargained for when he dropped everything to follow this teacher. It was however, the journey that the teacher was asking them to continue. It was the journey that would change their lives and the lives of hundreds of millions who would follow after them. It is the journey that you and I are asked to take up and continue. It is the journey which we are blessed and privlidged to share with each other and with Jesus. It is not the destination, it is the journey.

Amen.

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

The Senior Warden of St. Stephen's took the sermon time this morning to update the community on the results of our "discernment" work and Mission & Ministry planning for the future. I post it here for those of you who would like to read it.

DIRECTION DISCERNMENT HOMILY

This morning I am here to report to you the consensus of our discernment meetings for implementing the mission we identified in July. Our meeting phase has ended, and the planning phase begins today. I want to thank Fr. Dennis for giving me this time today.
What I have learned is that discernment works in mysterious ways.

I have no idea how Jean and I decided to offer First Corinthians as the September discussion topic for Adult Inquiry. It just came to us that it would be a good idea at this time to read it.
Corinth was the largest city in its province. It was an important port. It had more microbreweries and strip clubs per capita than any other city in the world. Its work depended heavily on slaves from other countries. Corinth was not so much un-churched as any churched. Its new Christian community was small, uncertain and contentious. But if anything, it was the downtown church of all downtowns. However, they were not in good standing with the leaders of the synagogue. They had stopped sending money to the mother church in Jerusalem. They had questions about sex and sexuality and argued about the roll of women in the church. Some drifted from one preacher to the next and had started to identify themselves with other liturgies. Others were tangled in ecclesiastical lawsuits over form and practice. Many had come to question Paul and his message and some complained that his sermons were dull. Especially compared to the new guy in town Apollos. And worst of all, perhaps, many had started to see the Eucharist as an event for socializing. Coffee hour at St. Paul’s in Corinth began at the table and often ended under it.

Paul had a vision of Christ and made it his mission to preach the good news. He believed in love above all things and invited us to think of ourselves as "servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries."
In 1 Corinthians he tries to articulate in practical terms what a church might look like. He has a vision; he has a mission and now tries the 2
difficult task of spelling out the details. How to get this thing to work.
At St. Stephen’s we believe with Paul in the stewardship of God’s mystery.
We discern that God is telling us that there is specific and special work to do at 13th and Clay. That work involves providing a spiritual home for those seeking communion and solace embraced in that mystery. And as the outward and visible expression of the grace we find here, we wish to be a community that reaches out to those of our little corner who are in need: the hungry, sick, lonely and hurt.

Our discernment process begins with the solidly expressed desire to remain in this place and to continue to search for a way to stay here permanently.
What will we do here?

First, we must project a fiscal plan for 2010 that operates within our means. For 2009 we have operated with a projected deficit. Next year we will need to make serious decisions about our priorities under reduced means.

Second, we will initiate programs to grow our presence as a center for spiritual healing.

Third, we will look to create partnerships that support our direction and enhance our capabilities.

And fourth, we are agreed to take steps to increase local awareness of who we are and what we are doing and to grow the congregation.

What are some of the practicalities?
First let’s review our financial position:

o We have no endowment or large reserve.

o At the end of August our cash position was roughly $75k. Our less liquid investments were valued at just under $60k.

o At the annual meeting in January we adopted a plan that forecast a shortfall of $56k and an intention to balance the year by drawing down our cash holdings. We are still able to do that. Our expenses are tracking very close to plan. For example YTD our music program appears to be within $17 of the forecast. But everyone needs to know we are still not paying our diocesan assessment.

o The good news is that our contributions are running at a rate of 11.6% ahead of the plan. This is due largely to some truly timely and generous gifts. At this rate our deficit would only be $32k, by the end of the year. So even though we need to continue to be concerned, everyone should know that we will not be broke at the end of December. But we cannot play the same card again.

How about our building?

o The bottom line on our building is this: it is not going to fall down around our ears on its own. It would be in trouble with a major earthquake, snowstorm or fire.

o We do not have the resources to bring it up to code. But to stay here longer we do need to consider doing some of the maintenance that has been deferred. This would include our old favorite of repairs to the roof.

How will we implement our mission?

We will start a Parish Care Program. I hope everyone has had a chance to read the article by our Deacon, Ken Arnold in this month’s Sentinel. It envisions a St. Stephen’s program, which would lead our mission to provide a downtown center for spiritual peace and healing. Some of its activities would include

1) Participation in laying on of hands during the Sunday Eucharist,

2) Visiting parishioners in hospital or at home recovering

3) Partnering with our neighbor Julia West House or Operation Nightwatch to visit the sick who are homeless or lack family care. We have two excellent and experienced trainers in Bill North and Palmer Pardington who have offered to help with this program. Those of you who are interested are invited to talk directly to Ken.

We are in discussion to start an evening service at the south waterfront. It would be a way of reaching out into our neighborhood to spread the good news among those whom we live! Kevin Countryman, the proprietor of Rilassi Coffee House is open to the idea of our doing a healing service there. Today, the south waterfront has no churches and no organized spiritual activity and just happens to be at the streetcar terminus for the line that comes past Clay Street.

We want to figure out how to tell our story at PSU. Historically we have not been very good at this; and practically no other church at this end of town has either. But it continues to be of obvious interest.

On the creative side some have suggested inviting another church to prepare and provide an additional meal using our kitchen and parish hall. I have been part of a joyous conversation envisioning a blessing of bicycles. And at our last vestry meeting one of our newest members Ed Garren proposed organizing a shared Thanksgiving meal for the entire community. I love this kind of energy!

What can each of us do?

Bob Tayler is this year’s Stewardship Chairperson. Shortly he will be talking to us about our campaign for our Year of Mission Building. It is a given that we will all need to search ourselves on the matter of treasure. But I would hold out that next year is a very important year for increased gifts of time and talent.

In Chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians Paul talks about the variety of spiritual gifts, "To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit." And later in Chapter 14 he asks, "What should be done then, my friends? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up."
What is your ministry today? What can be your ministry going forward? When I last spoke to you four weeks ago I gave examples of those whose ministries have run long and deep. I see in The Sentinel John Marks is back on the essay trail.

There is a new ministry I would like to tell you about today. I know they would keep this secret, but Drew and Marcos have asked to take on the church cleaning job as their gift of talent this year to start in the next few weeks. Fr. Dennis is working out the details with them, but it is a gift that takes my breath away.

What can you do? Are you a leader? We will need three new members for the Vestry next year. Are you a bookkeeper? Sue Rossiter’s time as our volunteer treasurer is coming to an end. Who wants to start an Altar Guild? Who can own the 10:00 coffee hour? Who would like to work on the library, help count money, become a lector, be an acolyte? Lead a discussion group. Help publicize our concerts. Organize a potluck. Sing in the choir. Coordinate with Portland’s hotel concierges. Work on the Parish Care Committee. We are rich in the spirit and rich in talent and the opportunities are endless.

And as Paul says concluding his letter to the Corinthians, "Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous and strong. Let all that you do be done in love."

When we depart this morning, we will offer a prayer to our God of abundance and ask to be sent forth in the power of his Spirit.
We have a joyful dream and our time is now. I personally discern a lot of love in this place and an abundant future for St. Stephen’s as we proclaim God’s redeeming love of our world.

[Amen]

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 17) – Year B (RCL) 2009
Deuteronomy 4: 1 – 2; 6 – 9; Psalm 15; James 1: 17 – 27; Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Parish, Portland, OR
Sunday, August 30, 2009

OF ALL THAT IS, CLEAN AND UNCLEAN

Let us pray: Fill our hearts, oh God with a sense of true religion; the root of that word which is a proper conduct toward others. Help us to learn that through your law we are set free to be a people ruled by love and not by law. Plant your law deep into our hearts that we might proclaim your love and justice to all who have neither. All these things we pray in your holy and life giving name. Amen.

(SUNG) BE THOU MY VISION, O LORD OF MY HEART;
ALL ELSE BE NAUGHT TO ME, SAVE THAT THOU ART –
THOU MY BEST THOUGHT BY DAY OR BY NIGHT,
WAKING OR SLEEPING THY PRESENCE MY LIGHT.

I find it incredibly ironic. As you are by now well aware, in the great majority of Christian Churches the scripture readings assigned for each Sunday are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary. Now not all churches use this lectionary (and, in fact there are different and separate Lectionaries for the Roman Catholic Church and Episcopal Churches by order of General Convention have until the year 2010 to completely switch). In the RCL for this Sunday the reading from the Hebrew Scriptures in the book of Deuteronomy the second verse reads “you must neither add anything to what I command you nor take anything from it” and then the RCL jumps to verse 6 omitting verses 3 through 5! What’s up with that?

In this Hebrew book (literally meaning “second law” – as it repeats in the 12th through 26th Chapters much of the legal code found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers) Moses addresses the people of Judah in 3 distinct discourses; in the first person for the first 2 discourses and then in the third person for the final or “farewell” discourse to the people of Y—WEH just prior to their entrance into the promised land. Much of the detail of the first six books of Hebrew Scripture or Torah deals with the “legalism” of the proscriptions of the Jewish faith and tradition. It is this “legalism” that Isaiah Chapter 29 v. 13 and later Jesus in the author of Mark’s account of the Gospel decries. “Because this people worship me with empty words and pay me lip-service while their hearts are far from me, and their religion is but a human precept, learnt by rote.” Now this good Irish Catholic boy certainly has rote religion in his head. The words of the Baltimore Catechism are still emblazoned in my brain: Question, “Who made you?” Answer, “God made me.” Question, “Who is God?” Answer “God is the Supreme Being who made all things and keeps them in existence.” Question, “Why did God make you?” Answer, “God made me to show forth His goodness and to share with me His everlasting happiness in heaven.” And I could go on and on – these things just live in my brain, I don’t know why.

So, I find myself this morning reflecting on several questions that have been ruminating in my brain since I first started to prepare this sermon. The first is what we remember and how we remember. The author of Deuteronomy has Moses speak to the people of Judah these words: “But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life;” an interesting command since we might admit that it is just that tendency – to forget the things that our eyes have seen – and rather concentrate on those things which others have seen and report back to us that can lead us into the trap of living a dead faith. This is always the tendency of religion; to shroud ourselves in the ritual and tradition of our faith as it has been handed down to us and neglect the living out of that faith in our own time. This is the proscription that can lead us to a religion that bases itself on “tradition” to the exclusion of “experience” which the Caroline founder’s of Anglicanism, our spiritual ancestors called “reason”. Scripture, Tradition and Reason (relying no more heavily on one to the exclusion of the others) form the famous “three legged stool” of Anglican thought. Jaroslov Pelikan, Sterling Professor of History at Yale University is quoted as saying, “Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. Tradition is the living faith of the dead.” The writer of the deuteronomic text, addresses Moses remarks to the gathered people, we should note, in the present tense: “…so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.” I would suggest that this technique is used so that the hearers of these words into millennia beyond their writing might vision the law as a living entity, which still feeds and nourishes their hearts and souls.

(SUNG) BE THOU MY WISDOM, AND THOU MY TRUE WORD;
I EVER WITH THEE AND THOU WITH ME, LORD;
THOU MY CREATOR; THINE OWN MAY I BE;
THOU IN ME DWELLING, AND I ONE WITH THEE.

The second of the questions that I mentioned previously has to do with the message of Jesus that is addressed to the Pharisees in this morning’s Gospel reading – and for me it is difficult question. How do we respect the tradition of the faith, those things which have been handed down to us through the Church – and yet avoid the very things, which Jesus seems to be addressing to his detractors? I was less than thrilled to discover that the word which we translate “hypocrites” is from the Greek hypokritēs which is actually the Greek work for “actor”, having spent the better years of my youth in that profession. How do I avoid letting the “rituals” of my religion – becoming the rote actions of my childhood memories? The ritual prayers and actions of our liturgy are comforting and familiar and are a piece of what allows us to connect our hearts and minds to God. AND – they are not and cannot be the end all of our religious expression. One of the ways that we avoid this danger is to occasionally revise the way we pray. This may help us to call ourselves up short and re-focus our hearts and minds to the God who lives beyond our rituals – and who longs to live in our hearts as well as our churches. As a leader in ritual prayer and action for the Church – in my priesthood and sacramental ministry, I search for ways to keep myself mindful of this pitfall of my ritual becoming my prayer. One of the ways that we can do this is to remind our brains that the rote prayer and familiar wording of our liturgical expression is not the only way that we can address God in prayer. By substituting the language of the Holy Eucharist from our Book of Common Prayer with the Supplemental Liturgical Materials from Enriching Our Worship, which we do during the summer months – we have the opportunity to hear with “new ears” the ancient prayers of our sacred mysteries. I give thanks to God and to this place for that opportunity as I continue to live out my ministry among you.

Part of what the author of Mark’s Gospel has Jesus convey to the people addressed in this morning’s story is the “nuts and bolts” of the washing of hands and cups, pots and bronze kettle’s; the “purification” rituals of the Jewish people. The author who was addressing a primarily Gentile audience uses the story to illustrate the danger of allowing our ritual to become our religion. The Episcopal Church like our sisters and brothers from other “liturgical” traditions face this danger. Allow me to illustrate with a story which I found recounted by Anthony deMello, the story of the guru's cat: it seems there was a guru who would have meditation services every evening and his cat would always run in the middle of those meditating. So every evening before the service, the guru would tie the cat to the tree outside. Then the guru died and the new guru also had the cat tied to the tree every evening in the same way. When the cat died, the new guru had an assistant immediately go out and buy a new cat to tie to the tree in the same way. The new guru even wrote a manual on the correct way to tie the cat to the tree before meditation services.

I invite you to notice that the debated “hand washing” ritual purification continues in our own liturgical tradition. Before approaching God’s Holy Table, the presider participates in what is called “the lavabo” (from the Latin for “I will wash”). Water is poured over the fingers in a symbolic ritual cleansing of the priest who will participate on behalf of God’s people to offer sacrificial gifts of bread and wine in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. As a reminder around our ritual, though, Jesus tells us that it is NOT what comes from outside a person that defiles, but rather that which comes from within. During that lavabo time a silent prayer is suggested from Psalm 51 and often whispered, “Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.” We might note, however, that the words translated as “wash” and “washing” which the author has the narrator use in verse 4 of our reading this morning are “baptizo” and “baptizmos” which, as you may guess are generally translated as baptize and baptism. We must be careful not to demonize and totally dismiss the ministry of the Pharisees which can be an easy temptation in the Gospels of the synoptic author’s. These men were the teachers and protector’s of not only the “law” or “Torah” but also of the interpretation of that law, or what would become known as the “Mishnah” so that it could be moved out of the temple restrictions and lived in the everyday lives of an occupied people to remind them who and whose they were. Jesus, in the events depicted in our story from the author of Mark’s retelling, simply calls them to realize that the beauty of the law lies in its spirit rather than its letter. Jesus comes, we will be told later, not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Jesus calls these religious leaders to task because they are living out Isaiah’s prophecy when they are told; “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” Therefore, we might surmise that all of the ritual hand washing and purification rites and laws will not make us clean. This does not mean that we can come to the table and eat dinner without washing our hands (me sainted Irish mither may she rest in peace would be horrified), but rather that the spiritual waters with which we are cleansed in birth and baptism have purified us before God to live as God’s chosen people, still bound by the law – but no longer slaves to it. Blind obedience to “ritual laws” will not suffice in the new Covenant – but the law written deep within our hearts, by God will set us free.

(SUNG) High ruler of heaven, when victory is won;
may I reach heaven’s joys, bright heaven’s sun!
heart of my heart, -- whatever be fall,
still be my vision, o ruler of all.

We’ve reached another turning point in our lives as community. Summer is ending and we will soon return to the familiar routines of fall – school will start and vacation times will end. Life will return to its yearly patterns in our homes and our church. As we slip back into the rhythms of soccer practice and car pools, grocery shopping and choir practices on Wednesday evenings – let us not forget what our eyes have seen and our ears have heard; God is calling us to new places in our ministries in the Church and in the world and there is much work to be done. God’s promise is to be with us in the journey wherever it may take us – if we are conscious of God in the ritual of our lives then we will have blessing in all of our comings and goings.

Amen