September 1, 2024

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

10:00am

 

 

WELCOME

 

OPENING PRAYER

Lord God, the source of all good things, 

we pause in your presence and hold our day before you.  

Still us, calm us, guide us as we enter this day.

 

PRELUDE

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

Arise, my love, my fair one and come away.

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

For now, the winter is past; the flowers appear on the earth.

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

The time of singing has come; the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

Join with all nature in manifold witness

Arise, my love, my fair one and come away.

To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. Let us worship God!

 

*HYMN No. 719                    “Come Labor On”

1 Come, labor on.
Who dares stand idle on the harvest plain
while all around us waves the golden grain?
And to each servant does the Master say,
“Go work today.”

2 Come, labor on.
Claim the high calling angels cannot share;
to young and old the gospel gladness bear.
Redeem the time; its hours too swiftly fly.
The night draws nigh.

3 Come, labor on.
Cast off all gloomy doubt and faithless fear!
No arm so weak but may do service here.
Though feeble agents, may we all fulfill
God’s righteous will.

4 Come, labor on.
No time for rest, till glows the western sky,
till the long shadows o’er our pathway lie,
and a glad sound comes with the setting sun,
“Well done, well done!”

 

*CALL TO CONFESSION

The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting; God’s grace never changes. Therefore, we come together to confess our sin, trusting that in Christ, we have already been forgiven:

 

*PRAYER FOR CONFESSION

Merciful God, we confess that our words and actions do not always line up. We are quick to confess our faith, but slow to live it. We sing praise to your name, but we pass by orphans and widows on the other side of the street. Change us, O God. By your grace, transform us. Root out the selfishness that hardens our hearts, and replace it with compassion and generosity. Empower us by your Spirit that we might be doers of your word and not hearers only. All this we pray in the name of Jesus the Christ, Amen.

 

*SILENT PRAYER FOR CONFESSION

 

*ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Listen and understand – the voice of the Beloved speaks to us, implanting the word of hope, the word of grace, and the word of forgiveness into our hearts.

We listen and understand.  Every gift comes from God, especially the gifts of mercy and love.  Thanks be to God, we are forgiven.  Amen.

 

*RESPONSE No. 39             “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”                      Refrain

Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning, new mercies I see.

All I have needed thy hand hath provided.

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

 

*PASSING OF THE PEACE OF CHRIST

Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us forgive one another.

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

And also with you.

 

SPECIAL MUSIC

 

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE

 

UNISON PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION

Please join me in the unison prayer…

Gracious God, we see as in a mirror dimly. Your Spirit offers clarity, wis- dom and understanding. Open our eyes, that these many words of Scrip- ture may bear witness to your true Word: Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

SCRIPTURE              Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

7Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, ²they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them.³(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; ⁴and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) ⁵So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” ⁶He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
⁷in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.’

⁸You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

 

⁹Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! ¹⁰For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ ¹¹But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban’ (that is, an offering to God)— ¹²then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, ¹³thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.”

 

¹⁴Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: ¹⁵there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.”

 

¹⁷When he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. ¹⁸He said to them, “Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, ¹⁹since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) ²⁰And he said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles.

 

²¹For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, ²²adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. ²³All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

 

Pause…

 

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God!!

 

SERMON                   “Human Tradition”

 

If you were blessed to be raised in a decently stable environment, chances are there were things that you did that became tradition.  And the meaning of these traditions was deeper than the action itself.  Do you know what I mean?  What are some of the traditions you had growing up that were particularly meaningful?

For the past 55 summers, the Oehler family went to the beach in North Carolina.  We rented a cottage and spent the week with immediate family.  During that week, we ate meals together, played on the beach together, enjoyed happy hour together and played games in the evening together.  But this year, the schedule changed, and we didn’t do things the same way as previous years.  The week felt strange and dis-jointed.  The traditions were not the same and the schedule was different.  My family was not doing vacation correctly!

Does this happen to you?  Please tell me I’m not the only one who has drawn unfortunate judgments about people who do things differently, or at least don’t do things the same as I was raised to do them.  Are there behaviors and traditions that are important to you, that have a way of showing up as unspoken expectations of other people?

 

 

How about in the church?  Does this happen in the church?  Are there things we do in the church that have become about more than the action, such that we end up using them to evaluate what ‘that other person or group is doing wrong’?

In the Gospel reading today, the religious leaders criticize Jesus’ disciples for not washing their hands before eating.  This is clearly about more than just a concern for their hygiene.  For the Pharisees, this is about tradition, faithfulness, respect and honor.  And we’re not just talking about running hands under water with soap and singing the ABC song like I taught my preschool kids.  The ritual washing was a whole routine that was about spiritual and ceremonial cleanliness…something that’s hard to draw a parallel to today.  Maybe think about when you were a kid and were about to go into your grandma’s house, or into some other ‘important’ place, and your mom would make you spit out your gum, tighten up your collar, straighten your skirt, smooth out your hair.  Washing hands was about being presentable before God.  And the commitment to the ritual came from a deep desire to be faithful to God and respectful of the cultural and religious tradition of honoring the faith and the elders.  It came from a good place, right?  There’s some value in respecting and appreciating the rituals and traditions of the community elders.

But when it became something used to draw lines between the insider and outsider, and when it became the measuring stick for faithfulness and loyalty to God, Jesus was compelled to call them out on it with some pretty harsh language. And while it’s easy for us to read this text and point out the judgmental nature of the Pharisees, Jesus’ response cautions us to be aware of our own tendencies to this kind of behavior.  It’s not the washing or not of washing hands that determines your faithfulness, Jesus says.  It’s what’s in your heart.

So do you see what Jesus is saying?  It’s not that the ritual cleansing was a bad tradition.  Jesus wasn’t saying the tradition of the elders needed to be thrown out.  It’s that the tradition had become the evaluation of the heart-stuff: faithfulness to God and commitment to the community.  And it’s that the tradition was used to point out the deficiency in other people.

In Deuteronomy, where a lot of these rules and traditions were established, we read over and over again that the purpose of the law is to point to God’s faithfulness, and to tell the story of God’s action in their history.  Obedience and adherence to the law was a way of celebrating the relationship they had with God…a relationship that was unique to their community because they felt God was close enough to call on any time they wanted.  Obedience was not the thing that created the relationship.  Obedience to the law was a response to the relationship that God chose and initiated.

In James we read another passage that can sound like “works are what makes you right before God.”  But that’s not what’s being said.  If Jesus says in Mark that cleanliness or uncleanliness is an internal matter of the heart, and not related to what you eat or whether you wash your hands, then James is saying that the reflection of your internal faithfulness is your external behavior.  Our actions and behavior do not DICTATE the condition of our hearts, but our actions and behavior do REFLECT the conditions of our hearts.

The church is actively navigating this tension today.  More and more people are claiming to be ‘spiritual but not religious,’ and not participating in external practices and traditions of religion.  Meanwhile, more and more people who have been surrounded by practices and traditions are finding that often the external stuff of religion is just that…merely external…and so leave the structure in search of something that’s more authentic and integrated.  And, there are plenty of people within the church who are saying what the Pharisees said to Jesus about his disciples as they evaluate the landscape and see the attitudes and behaviors of different generations: “don’t they care about our traditions and respect the history and input of their elders?”

So the church is navigating this tension.  We know there is power and meaning in this message about God and God’s love for the world.  But there are times when the traditions and structures we’ve put around that message have become the value.  At the same time, we aren’t quite ready to get rid of our traditions and practices, because it is those things that help us tell the story about our understanding of God’s faithfulness to us, and it is those things that celebrate our gratitude for God’s relationship with us as God’s people.  It’s hard for us to imagine the story being shared in a context other than the one we’re familiar with, or surrounded by rituals and traditions different from those that are so meaningful to us.

If we were discussing this text sitting around a table, we might go through the traditions and practices of this community…

those things we do together that give our community identity and meaning…

and wonder where the external action has become more important than the internal message.

We might wonder together when and how we use our experiences to draw conclusions and point fingers at those we see doing life differently.  We might consider where, in our own relationship with God, we claim an internal commitment to things like justice, care for neighbor, or spiritual maturity but when we look at our external life, those commitments don’t show up in our behavior.

And I hope that you find opportunity over the next week for your own reflection and conversation around these things.  But here’s what I want you to ponder.

First—what are the traditions and rituals that are particularly meaningful to you as you reflect on God’s participation in your life?

What are those things that you do or that are done in community that most deeply speak to you about your faith?

And Second—are there ways that we use external behaviors to draw lines that unnecessarily exclude others?

Are there ways that we create unspoken expectations on what faithfulness to God and this community LOOK like that can result in casting judgment on those who don’t conform?

And finally—how is God inviting you to share the power of love and grace and all those things that you’ve been given by God through faith in Christ with those around you?

Our traditions and rituals tell stories about our values, about our history, about our gratitude for God’s faithfulness.  But they do not LIMIT or DEFINE God’s faithfulness and action.  And these traditions are not meant to be used as measuring sticks of others’ faithfulness, or as weapons to exclude or criticize those who do things differently.

We could have the most liturgically, historically, and theologically precise tradition of worship and welcome—where we sing, process, preach, kneel, pray and proclaim God’s love for all.  But none of that matters if we’re not actually loving God and loving others.  None of that matters if we’re not actually in relationship with God and neighbor.  None of that matters if we’re pointing fingers and casting judgment on others.

These texts today invite us to both an internal and external inventory of our attitude and behaviors.  Let me be clear—all of these texts today have to do with responding to God and showing up in the world.  None of them have to do with our salvation.  God’s love and grace is a gift to us that is free—even when we are hypocrites who get caught up in religion and spend too much time worrying about who has gone through the appropriate rituals.  God’s invitation to come to the Table and be filled by the gift of forgiveness and life is for all of us—even if we haven’t washed our hands or shared a hot drink with a visitor.  The waters of baptism and the invitation to be sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the Cross of Christ forever are for all of us—even those who say they care but don’t show it.  So the inventory is not for the sake of evaluating God’s love for us, God’s commitment to us, or God’s abundance of grace given to us through Christ.  The inventory is for us as we continue to grow as followers of Christ.  The inventory is for us as we continue to seek first God’s kingdom.  The inventory is for us as we continue to form communities that are radically welcoming, committed to justice, rooted in the Gospel, and sent out into the world.

As we seek to grow in our love for God and love for neighbor, may we be ready to let go of the structures—maybe even the traditions—that keep us from all that God has for us as God’s people, gathered by the Holy Spirit, called through the waters of baptism, and sent out to the world with a message of grace and love for ALL PEOPLE.

 

 

Liturgy and Commentary provided by The PC(USA) Book of Common Worship, the Presbyterian Outlook, Michelle Collins, Tim Chesterton and Gina Bairby.

 

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH from the Barmen Declaration

As Jesus Christ is God’s assurance of the forgiveness of all our sins, so in the same way and with the same seriousness is he also God’s mighty claim upon our whole life. Through him befalls us joyful deliverance from the godless fetters of this world for a free, grateful service to God’s Creatures.

 

We reject the false doctrine, as though there were areas of our life in which we would not belong to Jesus Christ, but to other lords – areas in which we would not need justification or sanctification through him.

 

*HYMN No. 460                   “Break Thou the Bread of Life”

1 Break thou the bread of life,
dear Lord, to me,
as thou didst break the loaves
beside the sea.
Beyond the sacred page
I seek thee, Lord.
My spirit pants for thee,
O living Word!

2 Bless thou the truth, dear Lord,
now unto me,
as thou didst bless the bread
by Galilee.
Then shall all bondage cease,
all fetters fall.
And I shall find my peace,
my all in all.

 

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

Invitation

Jesus said: I am the bread of life.
All who come to me shall not hunger,
and all who believe in me shall not thirst.

With Christians around the world
and throughout the centuries,
we gather around these symbols
of bread and wine—simple elements
that speak of nourishment and transformation.

 

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Loving God, we thank you
that you are as close to us as breath,
that your love is constant and unfailing.
We thank you for all that sustains life,
and especially for Jesus Christ,
who teaches us how to live out
an ethic of justice and peace,
and for the promise of transformation
made manifest in his life, death and resurrection.

We ask you to bless this bread and this cup.
Through this meal, make us the body of Christ,
that we may join with you in promoting the well-being of all creation.

 

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

 

Words of Institution

We remember on the night
when Jesus and the disciples
had their last meal together,
Jesus took the bread, gave thanks,
and gave it to the disciples,
saying “This is my body,
which is broken for you.

Take and eat it, and as often as you do, remember me.”

[Distribution of the bread.]

 

In the same way he took the cup,
and after giving thanks
he gave it to the disciples, saying:
“Drink this, all of you.
This cup is the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

[Distribution of the wine.]

 

Communion

In the symbol of the broken bread, we participate in the life of Christ
and dedicate ourselves
to being his disciples.

 

In the symbol of the cup, we participate in the new life Christ brings.

 

Closing Prayer

Let us pray.

We give thanks, loving God, that you have refreshed us at your table. Strengthen our faith; increase our love for one another. As we have been fed by the seed that became grain, and then became bread, may we go out into the world to plant seeds of justice, transformation, and hope. Amen.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

OFFERING OF TITHES & OFFERINGS

James writes, “Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Since God is the source of all generosity, let us generously return our tithes and offerings to the Lord.

 

OFFERTORY

 

*RESPONSE N0. 607                       “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow”

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise Christ, all people here below;
praise Holy Spirit evermore;
praise Triune God, whom we adore. Amen.

 

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION

Generous God, we return to you these gifts, not only of our resources, but also of our lives. Sanctify us and use us to work out your purposes in the world. Amen.

 

*HYMN No. 450                   “Be Thou My Vision”

1 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

2 Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true Word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tower;
raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

3 Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise;
thou, mine inheritance, now and always;
thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.

4 High King of Heaven, my victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

 

*BENEDICTION

Now, friends, God sends us out.
May we who have heard the Word in this place
go forth to live that gospel in the world.
May we go to feed and clothe and tend and pray,

to speak God’s love to those who have forgotten it.

May we offer our whole selves to God,
and to one another.

And may the grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the friendship of the Holy Spirit,

accompany us along our way,

now and forever. Amen.