This is the bit in Matthew where Jesus tells the pharisees that it’s what comes out of the mouth that defiles, not the fact that they eat with hands that haven’t been washed. He’s trying to tease apart the actions of the pharisees from the intent of the pharisees. They may do the right things, but the question is why?
As a follower of a tradition steeped in doing the right things, this is worth pondering. We do lots of things especially during worship. There’s a part just prior to Eucharist, where the prayer book provides for either standing or kneeling. There are congregations that wholesale kneel, and others that stand. To my high school eyes, the kneelers knew something I did not. They plunked down at a seemingly random part, all in unison. They must know more, they must be doing it right. So for a while I picked up the habit of kneeling. That part of the prayer is more penitential, so kneeling is appropriate; it gets your whole body in the position of a more humble heart.
But then I attended a church where no one kneeled. In their Sunday bulletin, they actually explained that they believed that through Christ, all were made whole. Especially right before communion, kneeling was not necessary, as we were freed from that sense of unworthiness; Christ’s sacrifice made us worthy, and we were about to celebrate that exact mystery.
What we do doesn’t matter as much as why we do it, particularly if we’re claiming to do things for God. Like the pharisees, it’s really easy to forget why, and continue on with ‘human precepts’, as Jesus explains.
The accompanying reflection is by Gerald May and focuses on the notion of consecration. Consecration is giving something over to God. He explains we can dedicate our lives to a cause, to our family, to a job. But we can only be consecrated to God. He writes, “Consecration means consciously participating in love, intentionally opening ourselves to accept the divinely given gift. It requires that we trust more in grace than in our personal capabilities. It calls for an attitude of willingness, a giving of ourselves to a power greater than our own.”
I’m intrigued by the idea that we can the right things, but if we aren’t doing them mired in God’s love, and because of God’s love, they cease to be the right things, or at least they aren’t consecrated to God. I suspect this happens both to people who are non-believers, where they’d never believe they’re doing something for God. And it happens to well-intentioned believers, like the pharisees and me, who do the right thing consecrated or given to God, but then over time, that God-connection gets lost, and I’m left doing something absent the God-connection. This morning, I’m thinking about how I can re-consecrate my life and actions, giving them over to God and God’s love. This requires a painstaking review not only of my actions, but of my reasons. No autopilot today.
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