Is Jesus traditional or contemporary?

September 1, 2024 15th Sunday of Pentecost Labor Day Is Jesus Traditional or Contemporary? Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23 Year B Prelude Greeting Call to Worship L: Summer wanes and the autumn draws close. P: Lord, help us to be ready for opportunities of service. L: We have felt the refreshment of time-away. P: Lord, give us spirits of joy for the times ahead. L: Come, let us celebrate God’s eternal presence and love. P: Let us open our spirits to receive God’s direction for our lives. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Invocation Loving God, we rejoice to be with you and with one another. You are the God who makes all things new and who redeems our past. In life, we find the fullness of life—from joy beyond measure to despair that consumes. Your presence sustains us through the depths and the plateaus. We acknowledge your sovereignty and express our bold trust that hope is our portion and assigned position in your everlasting and incomparable realm. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Song Just as I am without one Plea UMH 357 A Sermon for all Ages Hello, children of God! We have come to realize how important it is to keep things clean, right? We make sure to wash our hands and sanitize surfaces, because we want to keep germs away. Well, I have several items here that you might use to clean. Let’s see if you can identify them. What might I use this product for? (Hold up different types of cleaning products, inviting students to describe their purposes. Examples could include hand soap, dish soap, laundry soap, sanitizer, or body wash.) Each of these items will be useful for me in different ways, depending on what and how I need to clean. But which of these things will help me be clean inside? Will any of these products be able to wash my sinful heart? If I swallow some soap, will that do the trick? No, of course not! And you should never EVER put cleaning products in your mouth… So what can I rely on to clean me up on the inside? Well, we know that Jesus does that! Did you know that there were people who got angry at Jesus about washing hands? It’s true! You see, the Pharisees and church leaders had a lot of special rules about things. In fact, outside of the Ten Commandments, they added hundreds of special rules and regulations about how they should live and do things. One of the things they had a lot of rules about was washing. They wanted people to wash their hands and pots and everything in just a certain special ceremonial way. The purpose of this wasn’t even to be clean, really. The rule was just in place to make people say they followed the rule! They criticized Jesus and His disciples for not following their special rules. They said He wasn’t clean because He ate with hands that hadn’t been properly washed, and He was going to be dirty and sinful if He didn’t follow their specific rules. They were concerned and focused on what Jesus did not do, rather than recognizing who He was and noticing the amazing things that He did do! So Jesus explained to them that life was not about following rules or doing things in just a specific certain way. Things that we eat cannot make us sinful, but things that we do. Jesus tried to communicate that the attitudes of our hearts are more important than the words that we say or the rules that we have. Washing hands in just the right way wasn’t going to truly impact how the Pharisees followed God. Jesus turned the criticism back onto the Pharisees by pointing out how they were so upset about the rules that they failed to consider the reason for the rules. They didn’t follow God with their hearts. It might seem silly to us to get so worked up over the method of washing things. However, we can easily become distracted by the wrong thing. For instance, in church we might be concerned with the way people are dressed, or the order that we have our services, or what kind of juice we serve for snacks afterwards…we can become focused on these details, and forget what the most important things are. It’s more important to recognize that we come to worship, to put our hearts and minds on Jesus. He is the center of our faith. And that’s the really good news! Jesus came to transform what we rely on. The temple leaders were worried over following all of the rules and doing things just right to make themselves look good. They thought they could somehow be closer to God if they stuck to the law. Jesus gave Himself for us, so that even when we make mistakes and don’t keep all of the rules just right, we have forgiveness. His blood cleanses us from our sinful thoughts and behaviors. He helps us to have faith and believe in that truth to give us new hope and peace. So, of course, we still wash our hands and make sure we clean things on the outside. But we can realize that the most important kind of cleanliness is how we become clean inwardly. Christ has washed us inside and made us new. Whether at church, home, or school, we give thanks to Him for that and focus on Him for all we have and who we are. Let’s say a prayer to thank God for cleaning us on the inside: Prayer: (Have kids repeat each line) Dear God, Thank you for cleaning our hearts Help us remember to put our hope in you And not in outward things You are the most important thing to focus on Thank you for your love We love you, God! In Jesus name, Amen! (Ministry to Children.com, Kristin Highley) Apostles Creed UMH 881 Prayer for illumination Gracious God, we see as in a mirror dimly. Your Spirit offers clarity, wisdom and understanding. Open our eyes, that these many words of Scripture may bear witness to your true Word: Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ( Presbyterian Outlook, Ginna Bairby) Scripture Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Sermon Is Jesus Traditional of Contemporary So let me ask you a question this morning. Did you wash you hands this morning, before worship? Well the baptismal font is sitting right there as you walk in, filled with water for that very reason. The pharisee’s criticized Jesus and the disciples for that very reason, they did not wash their hands before eating. It was tradition to clean your hands, not for hygienic reasons but for religious reasons. In their understanding of religion there were well established rules that you followed. The pharisees considered themselves to be the keepers of the tradition. Even to this day, they don’t like Jesus because he didn’t always follow tradition. Our lesson for today is Jesus response to the pharisees, explaining that he is not against tradition. He is against using tradition to control people. You don’t have to follow tradition in order to follow Jesus. Jesus calls them hypocrites – one thing on the outside and another inside. The Rabbi and the White Horse A young man once came to a great rabbi and asked him to make the younger man a rabbi. It was wintertime then. The rabbi stood at the window looking out upon the yard, while the rabbinical candidate was droning into his ears a glowing account of his piety and learning. The young man said, "You see, Rabbi, I always go dressed in spotless white like the sages of old. I never drink any alcoholic beverages; only water ever passes my lips. Also, I live a plain and simple life. I have sharp-edged nails inside my shoes to mortify me. Even in the coldest weather, I lie naked in the snow to torment my flesh. Also daily, I receive forty lashes on my bare back to complete my perpetual penance." As the young man spoke, a white horse was led into the yard and to the water trough. It drank, and then it rolled in the snow, as horses sometimes do. "Just look!" cried the rabbi. "That animal, too, is dressed in white. It also drinks nothing but water, has nails in its shoes and rolls naked in the snow. Also, rest assured, it gets its daily ration of forty lashes on the rump from its master. Now, I ask you, is it a saint, or is it a horse?!?!" Which is more important – what goes into us or what comes out of us? Which defines us more – our outside behavior or our inside motivation? Carla Thompson Powell, Insides vs. Outsides? What Really Matters? When you follow Jesus, real religion is not about what you believe it is about who you are as a person. So let me ask you a 2nd question- who would you prefer to have a neighbor who lived next door to you? A neighbor who is highly organized, or a neighbor who cares about you? Sermon Opener - Creeds or Deeds - Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Rev. David Chadwell posed a rather interesting question: Which would you prefer for a next-door neighbor: a person of excellent habits or a person with a good heart? Which would you prefer for a good friend: a person of excellent habits, or a person with a good heart? Which would you prefer for a husband or a wife: a person of excellent habits, or a person with a good heart? Which would you prefer for a child: a child with excellent habits, or a child with a good heart? It is wonderful to have a neighbor who conscientiously cares for his property while respecting your property. It is wonderful to have a friend who always treats you with consideration. It is wonderful to be married to a husband who always is thoughtful and courteous, or to a wife who always is gracious in her comments and deeds. It is wonderful to have a son or daughter who shows respect and uses good manners. As wonderful as those situations are, none of them compare to having a neighbor, a friend, a husband, a wife, a son, or a daughter with a good heart. When you discuss good behavior, you are discussing the quality of a person's self-control. When you discuss a good heart, you are discussing the quality of the person. This is the focus of today’s Scripture… Back to my original question, having clean hands and having clean hearts are two different things. Heart Trouble Statistics reveal the high percentage of people who suffer from heart attacks, heart disease, and hardening of the heart arteries. But we can lower the risk of heart trouble. A balanced, healthy diet, aerobic exercise, less stress, and good rest are all ways each person can treat their heart better. And there are medicines and medical procedures that can help the human heart. Because, left alone, heart trouble can kill you. Jesus spoke of the heart in a different way. He wasn't speaking about the central organ of the human body. He meant the center of our personality. Our heart in this sense is the source of our desires, our intentions and actions. And according to Jesus, this heart is not only prone to weakness and trouble, it is positively toxic. C. Michael Cunningham, Curing the Toxic Heart • Jesus tells us the source of all evil. It is not the Devil. It is not Satan, or some otherworldly power. “It’s from inside the human heart that evil thoughts come… All these evil things come from inside and contaminate a person in God’s sight.” This leads me to my 3rd question – where is you heart at today? Their Hearts Are Far from Me A young coed being interviewed on television about her religious beliefs said, "Oh yes, I believe in God, but I'm not nuts about Him." According to the Gallup Poll that is a good description of how most Americans feel about God. Ninety-four percent of us believe in God. When it comes to translating that belief into action, however, most of us are clearly not nuts about Him. We have something in common with the Pharisees. Jesus once summed up the Pharisees chief problem like this: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com We have another thing in common with the pharisees – we like our traditions. We sometimes forget that you don’t have to follow tradition in order to follow Jesus. The pharisees had good intentions. And Jesus never meant to criticize their intentions. He just pointed out that their outsides had started to replace their insides. And they had lost sight of the important thing – is a heart for God. The inner person is the person who counts. The apostle Paul desired that we be strengthened in the inner man. It boils down to relationship. We are only as strong as our personal relationship with Christ. J. David Hoke, The Inside Story, Mark 7:14-23. Routines While on vacation in Daytona Beach one summer, our family quickly fell into a regular daily routine. The first thing on the agenda every morning was a power-walk on the beach. We usually wore our tennis shoes and walked as fast as we could on the firm beach the mile or more to the pier, where we enjoyed a nice breakfast at Crabby Joe's place. Then we completed our daily exercise as we hiked back with the morning sun beginning to warm the day. Then after all the day's activities of shopping, swimming, sailing, and surfing, we took another long walk on the beach at dusk. This time we often walked barefoot in the edge of the water. This was a leisurely stroll in which we soaked up the serenity of the day's end. The constant movement of the water and the close presence of the resting gulls and sandpipers had a hypnotic effect on us. By the end of the pleasant walk on the beach, the mellowness of the ocean had worked its way inside of us. We were only there a week, but the routine became a habit that we didn't want to break. Isn't it amazing that we so easily fall into a routine like that? I guess we are all creatures of habit. We easily become accustomed to doing things the same way. We do the same thing in church. We quickly learn to count on a certain predictability of the activities of Sunday school and worship, and we are very hesitant to see them change. If we are not careful, some of these expectations become full-fledged traditions. They take on a significance far greater than simply being a convenient routine. Some things become almost holy and unchangeable. When that happens they have moved from being a routine to become a sacred cow. Then, when someone tampers with a sacred cow, people become very upset. Mickey Anders, ChristianGlobe Illustrations Our most important habit is to follow Jesus every single day. Let us pray….. Song Take my Life and Let it Be UMH 399 Prayers of the people (Do not Print) (Presbyterian Outlook, Ginna Bairby) God of all compassion, in Jesus Christ you have laid claim to our entire selves and shown us that nothing is too grand or insignificant for your mercy to touch. Therefore, we are bold enough to lift our prayers to you this morning. We give you thanks for the goodness that overflows in our lives. For sunsets and tree frogs. For family, friends, and loved ones around us. For little ones and not-so-little ones returning to school. For potlucks and T-ball games. For the sweetness of the last watermelon of the season. We ask for your healing and grace for those places that are broken, in the world and in our lives. For nations plagued by warfare and souls plagued by shame. For people without food and people without friendship. For your loved ones in hospitals, domestic violence shelters and refugee camps. Purify our religion, O God, that it might bear fruit in the world. Send forth your church that we might care for all people in distress. All this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, the one who taught us to pray say ….. Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment Offertory Prayer Gracious God, we bring these offerings with hearts full of love and gratitude, inspired by the beauty of your creation and the love that binds us. Just as the Song of Solomon celebrates love's arrival, we dedicate these gifts to further your kingdom with joy and patience. May they bring hope, peace, and transformation, reflecting your love for all. Help us to be stewards of your grace and love in the world. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. (Song of Solomon 2:8-13) United Methodist Board of Discipleship Communion Page 13 Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May the everlasting love of God give you peace, The surprising grace of God give you courage, And the creative will of God give you joy, As you release the traditions that have served their time, Hold the traditions that inspire new life, And create traditions for a future promising and unknown. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction As Christ has fed and redeemed your life, now go into the world in peace and love offering ministries of hope and justice. Go in peace and may the peace of God always be with you. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Additional Illustrations You Are What You Eat - Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 The Pharisees were grumbling -- doesn't it seem like they were always grumbling? Of all the things they could be concerned about, they were upset that Jesus' disciples weren't washing their hands before they ate. As I read this passage over earlier in the week I could hear my mom asking me and my brother and sisters before a meal, "Did you wash your hands?" This was an appropriate question for parents trying to teach their children good hygiene. But, at first glance, a strange concern for a religious leader, don't you think? It wasn't like they were afraid that these guys would get their food all germy, they were concerned that the disciples were breaking one of their rules; one of the traditions of their elders. It was a good way to take a pot-shot at Jesus. See, he couldn't possibly be who people say he is because either he doesn't know the rules of the game, or he chooses to ignore them. These religious powers that be were claiming that everyone had to follow human precepts in order to be acceptable to God. The Pharisees were preaching that, like computer programmers of today, "Garbage in, garbage out." Or, in the words of nutritionists, "You are what you eat." Jesus uses their rigid interpretation of these human rules to teach the crowd that "there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile" (Mark 7:15). Then he recites a list of nasty sins that can come out of a person's heart and defile a person. Even if this is true, what goes into a person does not define what comes out of a person in terms of their behavior, I think it's still safe to say, we ought to hedge our bets and make certain that good things go into a person, so we can expect that good things are going to come out. I'd be the last person to give anyone dietary advice; what foods are good,and will product good health, and what foods are bad for you. A friend once said to me, pardon the expression, we shouldn't eat crap, and we all know what crap is. Likewise, we need to be careful about what we hear and see, what values we're exposed to, what values are crap, lest the wrong things come bursting out of our hearts.... Melting Mountains of Ice William Lloyd Garrison was the greatest abolitionist this country has ever known. He was a publisher of a newspaper called the Liberator, an antislavery publication. Garrison was an angry man, angry with indignation caused by the unbelievably inhumane treatment many of the slaves experienced. He hated slavery with everything that was in him. One day one of his best friends, Samuel May, tried to calm him down. He said to Garrison, "Oh, my friend, try to moderate your indignation and keep more cool. Why, you are all on fire." Garrison replied, "Brother May, I have need to be all on fire, for I have mountains of ice around me to melt." Well, the only way any of us can melt mountains of ice is to be on fire. The only way Christ can use any of us is when we are driven by a great passion, when we feel or hear his voice within our heart showing us a great cause that needs to be championed. Nothing is accomplished in this world by people who have no passion. That's one reason we need God in our hearts as well as on our lips. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Is Your Heart In It? Frederick Buechner imagined a youngster learning to play the piano. "The child holds her hands just as she's been told...she has memorized the piece perfectly. She has hit all the proper notes with deadly accuracy. But her heart's not in it, only her fingers. What she's playing is a sort of music, but nothing that will start voices singing or feet tapping." When it comes to faith and life, let me ask you a question: Are our hearts in it or only your fingers? Are you allowing God's renewing grace to work in you from deep within? Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. Adapted from Verne Arens, “Matters of the Heart” Tradition Is a Powerful Thing Years ago Harry Emerson Fosdick told about a church in Denmark where the worshipers bowed regularly before a certain spot on the wall. They had been doing that for three centuries -- bowing at that one spot in the sanctuary. Nobody could remember why. One day in renovating the church, they removed some of the whitewash on the walls. At the exact spot where the people bowed they found the image of the Madonna under the whitewash. People had become so accustomed to bowing before that image that even after it was covered up for three centuries, people still bowed. Tradition is a powerful thing. The Pharisees had learned to substitute tradition, custom, habit for the presence of the living God. Traditionalism rears its head in many ways, in many times and in many places. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Fault-Finding Shakespeare said, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? I'm sure it would. You see, the truth is that the thing is what it is, not what someone calls it. Names are assigned to us, based on our outward circumstances by ourselves and other people. "Sinner, Failure, Stupid, Dummy, Unclean" all are names which label us. But what we are called, either by others or by ourselves does not determine who we are. It might speak of those external circumstances, but it might be wholly inaccurate. You see, a failure is not someone who fails. In reality, the people who fail the most are the ones who succeed. You only get to success by taking risks and risk-taking brings many failures along the way. A failure is someone who simply doesn't try. No, names do not determine who you are. You are who you are on the inside. So, the first important lesson is that we must cultivate the inner person. he Shoeshine Boy A certain downtown businessman became fond of the little boy who shined his shoes every day. He did such a good job that one day the businessman asked him, “Son, how come you are so conscientious about your work?” The boy felt complimented. He looked up to the man, and said, “Mister, I’m a Christian and I try to shine every pair of shoes as if Jesus Christ were wearing them.” The businessman saw something genuine in the shoeshine boy. Soon after that he began reading his Bible. When he decided to be a Christian himself, he credited his decision to the little boy who shined every pair of shoes “as if Jesus Christ were wearing them.” That’s a blessing. Charles R. Leary, Mission Ready!, CSS Publishing Company. Which Flowers Are Real? The queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon, and one day she put him to the test. She brought artificial flowers so perfectly formed that no human eye could detect them from real flowers. She put them in a vase on Solomon’s table, in his throne room next to his flowers. As he came in, the queen of Sheba is reported to have said, "Solomon, you are the wisest man in the world. Tell me without touching these flowers, which are real and which are artificial." It is said that Solomon studied the flowers for a long time and spoke nothing, until finally he said, "Open the windows and let the bees come in." There are ways to tell the artificial from the real — let the bees come in; they will know where the real is. If we live with the authentic Jesus long enough, we will recognize the artificial when we see it. Brooks Ramsey, When Religion Becomes Real Humor: A Tradition of Fighting There is a story about a young, newly ordained minister who went to serve his first church. He noticed that on the first Sunday, when he said the prayers, the congregation on the left side of the church stood at the beginning of the prayers, and the congregation on the right side remained seated. The young minister thought this was a bit odd, but he kept going in the prayers — until he began to hear some murmuring between the two sides, then the murmuring turned into grumbling and then people yelling at each other, proclaiming that they were doing the right thing when came to the tradition of the church. Distressed by what he had seen and all that was taking place, the young pastor went to seek the council of the former, now elderly pastor, who had served this congregation for years. He asked him, “So is it the tradition of the congregation to stand during the prayers?” The older minister, whose memory was now failing, stroked his beard, replied, “No, that is not the tradition, as I recall.” “So, the tradition is that they remain seated during the prayers?” To which the old minister responded, “No, that’s not the tradition either.” The young pastor threw his hands in the air in exasperation, and said, “There must be some solution to this! The way things are now, half stand and half sit and all end up screaming at one another during the prayers.” The old pastor’s face lit up in a smile; he lifted his finger high into the air and said, “Ahh, yes! Now I remember — that was the tradition!” Traditional What’s Eating You? For Jesus the food laws became critical arguing points to challenge the exclusion of Gentiles from the kingdom of God. A new identity for Israel was unfolding and it required a shift in understanding the purpose of the law. Table manners are not after all meant for banishing to the basement those who aren’t worthy enough to eat. They are meant to help make dining a pleasurable experience for everyone. But the controversy over food laws persisted, and in the early Church reflected tensions between Jewish and Gentile Christians that kept them from table fellowship together. Today, for us, other controversies keep Christians from coming to the table together. Opinions about policies having to do with genetic research, war, medical care, education, the environment, and gender give us all the opportunity for violent disagreement, if we let them. Each of these areas of contention represents deeply held convictions about how we are to live. These convictions in part, tell us who we are. When they are challenged, we get scared. It feels as if our very existence is threatened. And it is fear, ultimately, that fuels the evil intentions of the heart. What defines us? Jesus perhaps might have said, it’s not so much that “you are what you eat,” but “what’s eating you.” Mary Ogus, untitled sermon Lip Service According to the story, Queen Victoria was once at a diplomatic reception in London. The guest of honor was an African chieftain. All went well during the meal until, at the end, finger bowls were served. The guest of honor had never seen a British finger bowl, and no one had thought to brief him beforehand about its purpose. So he took the finger bowl in his two hands, lifted it to his mouth, and drank its contents--down to the very last drop! For an instant there was breathless silence among the British upper crust and then they began to whisper to one another. All that stopped in the next instant as the Queen, Victoria, silently took her finger bowl in her two hands, lifted it, and drank its contents! A moment later 500 surprised British ladies and gentlemen simultaneously drank the contents of their own fingerbowls. It was "against the rules" to drink from a fingerbowl, but on that particular evening Victoria changed the rules -- because she was, after all, the Queen. It is "against the rules" not to wash your hands before you eat and on that the Pharisees called the hand of the disciples who follow Jesus. But Jesus recognizes their hypocrisy and he quotes from Isaiah, "These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me." Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com. Thanks to Winfield Casey Jones for this story. “You Might Be a Pharisee if…” Jeff Foxworthy has made a career of telling "redneck" jokes. For instance, "You might be a redneck if someone asks you for some identification and you show them your belt buckle." The South doesn't have a lock on rednecks. The North has them also. For instance, "You might be a northern redneck if you've ever burned a tire on the hood of your car in winter to help get it started." Here in the church I'd like to poke fun at some of the straight-laced, self-righteousness that passes for Christianity. So, behold, I bring you the Pharisee joke! For instance, you might be a Pharisee if you've ever shouted, "Amen!" more than 51 times during a single sermon on somebody else's sin. You might be a Pharisee if you think the only music God listens to is at least 100 years old ... if you're sure nobody has ever had to forgive you ... if your black leather Thompson Chain Reference Bible is so big it takes two hands to hold it up. You might be a Pharisee if you think the world would be a better place if everyone were just like you ... if you think Jesus might have overstepped his bounds when he turned water into wine ... if you think big hair is a sign of holiness ... if you go to church to prove you're good! Stephen M. Crotts, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, CSS Publishing ____________________ • What are the differences between custom and God’s Law? What is cultural tradition and what is essentially Christian? What are the things that we do because they are the rules the elders passed on? The way bread is served at Communion, the Christmas pageant, who are ushers, is the flag hung in the sanctuary, what do we do on secular holidays, how we dress, when we meet, what a church looks like. Is Christianity that doesn’t look like ‘our’ Christianity still authentic? What happens when the customs of our elders get in the way of following God’s law of love? Civil rights, LGBTQ rights, etc.