Loving God, you call us to turn our hearts to you and to allow you to breathe life into our souls. Renew us by the power of your Spirit this day, and help us to hear your Word for us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

She attended church regularly and always looked good doing it. But none of her family wanted anything to do with the church. You see, when she was not at church she displayed jealousy and self-interest and even abusiveness. She was greedy and selfish and spiteful. Her family concluded that the church was to blame. They wanted no part of a religion that would teach people to act like that. And so they stayed away and never managed to hear the freeing and life-giving good news of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, this is a story that gets repeated in various different forms. "If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless" (Jas. 1:26). "This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" (Mk. 7:6).

Jesus spoke out against vain religion - not just because the religious leaders were missing the point, but because they were causing other people to miss the point as well. Just think about how ludicrous this actually sounds: Here is Jesus - living in loving service, having mercy on those in need, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and welcoming the outcasts. He is living out and teaching the heart of God's law. And so the religious leaders say: "You're not washing your hands properly! Look! - He's not keeping the tradition of the elders. He's not doing the right rituals!" Doesn't it sound like everybody involved is missing the point? (Other than Jesus, that is!)

And so Jesus asks them to consider what is really most important. In fact, he gives an example of vain religion which we do not hear in today's gospel reading, in which he compares the tradition of the elders and the commandments of God. One of the commandments, of course, is to honour your father and your mother. However, a tradition had developed surrounding this commandment that looked religious, but really wasn't. In effect, people were saying to their parents, "Well, I would have supported you, but I've reserved that money as an offering to God instead." They were saying this, of course, and then using the money for themselves. This is the "human tradition" which Jesus mentions, which has taken the place of the commandment of God. More people were missing the point!

The story is told about this guy who discovered fire and decided to go to the tribes further north and share his discovery with them. He took his tools for making fire with him, and he showed them how fire could keep them warm and how they could cook with it and even make tools for themselves using fire. The people got right into it and were soon using fire for many things, but before they could even say "thank you" the man had disappeared. He didn't want any thanks. He just wanted to pass on the gift of fire to others.

Well, he moved on to share his discovery with another tribe, but there he ran into a bit of trouble. It wasn't long before the priests realized how popular this man was becoming and how their own influence on the people was getting less and less. And so the priests devised a plan to poison the man and they killed him. Well, a suspicion arose among the people that the priests were behind this, and so the priests decided that they would put a portrait of this man above the altar in the temple. They devised a ritual and some liturgies whereby this man would be remembered, and they put on display there the tools for making fire. Year after year the people gathered there in order to observe the ritual. But there was no fire. There was ritual, veneration, remembrance, and thanksgiving, but no fire.

How easy it is to miss the point! How easy it is to focus in on insignificant details and totally miss the big picture. How easy it is to develop rules and regulations about things that don't really matter, because it is easier to follow rules than it is simply to walk in love. How easy it is to focus on externals and totally miss the matters of the heart.

Jesus ran into this obsession with the rules on a regular basis. He would set somebody free by healing them and then would be told, "You can't do that - this is the Sabbath!" He and his disciples were hungry and were picking some grain to eat. He was told, "You can't do that - this is the Sabbath!" He would share a meal and the kingdom of God with outcasts and sinners and was told, "You can't do that if you want to be a respectable rabbi. A respectable rabbi wouldn't eat with them!" He would welcome children to come and sit with him and be blessed by him and was told, "You can't do that. You need to spend your time with the people who matter -- not with children." They were absolutely missing the point.

There was a young man who was travelling across Canada in order to attend university. He was travelling by bicycle and camping, and along the way most of his belongings were stolen (other than his bicycle and his tent). His faith had always been very important to him, and so he wanted to attend church along the way. All he had left were some rather scruffy looking clothes which he had been wearing for several days. However, he didn't think God would mind if he still went to worship.

He found a church in the town that he was passing through and went there on Sunday morning for worship. As he entered, he was met by disapproving glances from the ushers, both of whom were very well-dressed. He sat down anyways and soon could hear whispering behind him all about the lack of respect that young people showed nowadays and why couldn't people dress decently for church. The whole time he was there, nobody spoke to him and nobody asked him how he was doing. Of course, he got more disapproving glances when the offering plate was passed, and all he had with him were a few coins. He didn't bother to stay until the end of the service, and he didn't bother to visit any more churches on his journey.

How easy it is to focus on externals and totally miss the matters of the heart. How easy it is to totally miss the point. At one point, Jesus uses the image of a white-washed tomb (Mt. 23:27). This is what it is like to keep up appearances while our hearts are in desperate need of renewal inside of us. We always like to think that we know what other people are all about. Yet, the Scriptures remind us that while people tend to look at outward appearances, God looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). And ultimately, it is our hearts that God wants to renew and to re-create and to turn towards him.

There's a reason that this theme shows up again and again in the Scriptures. The reading from the letter of James today hints at it when it mentions people who think they are religious but deceive their hearts (Jas. 1:26). Jeremiah is even more explicit as we read, "The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse - who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9). We human beings seem to have a unique capacity for deceiving ourselves and for creating illusions which we then pass off as truth. Yet, Jesus cuts through those illusions in order to reveal the truth.

Jesus says, Here are some of the things that are in the human heart: Greed, envy, sexual promiscuity and lust, pride, murder, and deceit (Mk. 7:21-22). He says, You tell yourselves that these things are okay as long as you look religious and do the right rituals. Not so! These things will not lead you into life, but only death. These things will rob you of peace, will cut you off from God and will fill you with unhappiness and anxiety. You are deceiving yourselves.

Instead, let my word sink deep into your hearts. Allow my Spirit to renew your mind and your heart and to give you life. Hear my word, and do it, and you will have life. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart - and you will find rest for your souls. I will give you a new heart and a new mind. Turn to me, and I will give you life and salvation. Those who have ears to hear, let them hear! Amen.

Proper 17(B) Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
September 3, 2006 James 1:17-27
St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore
? 2006 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved