Mark 2

I'm not teaching our Sunday morning class again until the first of January so I'm not as immersed in the text as I would normally be.  That means these next few weeks will be short & sweet, which is probably a relief to some of y'all!

Bill taught a great lesson on Mark 2, specifically about the Pharisees asking Jesus questions with the intent of tripping Him up.  These men of the Law were so intent on keeping the letter of the Law that they totally missed the Spirit of the Law.  Matthew's Gospel records an interesting exchange in chapter 23, when Jesus seems to have had His fill of the Pharisees and tells them, "[you keep the Law] but you have neglected the more important matters of the Law -- justice, mercy and faithfulness... you strain at a gnat but swallow a camel..."  And unfortunately this problem didn't die in the first century.

There are certainly things that Christians MUST take a stand against because they compromise God's Word and quench His Spirit. (A personal aside -- love and prayers go out to Pastor Mark Graham and the leadership at St John's Lutheran Church for taking an unpopular but BIBLICAL stand against the ELCA.  Here is an article that ran in our Sunday paper.  Please pray for their congregation as they deal with this situation.)

But there are plenty of issues that create conflict and divide congregations that are simply issues of personal preference and tradition.  I'm sure all of us can look back at an incident that, at the time, seemed terribly important.  But after a little time passed... and a little maturity came... now we look back and are embarrassed to have made a mountain out of a molehill.  My father-in-law once jokingly (but truthfully!!) said, "A church can split over the color of carpet!"

I have some fun Facebook friends who post reflective thoughts which inspire some interesting comments, and quotes that challenge religious tradition can create quite a buzz.  But the older I get the more I (try to) remind myself that tradition is sometimes just a RITUAL, plain and simple.  While it's familiar and cozy to ME, it may seem uncomfortable and stale to someone else.  As long as the Message isn't compromised, the method can morph into whatever He needs it to.  Heck, God knew the best way to speak to Balaam was through a DONKEY (Numbers 22) -- how much more untraditional can you GET??  I trust that He can use

whomever/whatever/whenever/wherever/however He chooses to speak to the hearts of those He loves, and I don't want to miss Him because of my own blinders of tradition!

I love the 12th chapter of Romans.  That passage is a good (and short!) one that I am going to start reading on a regular basis -- probably the 12th of each month, which will make it easy for my blonde brain to remember.  The gist of the chapter is this, "Don't be self-indulgent, be like Jesus."  I particularly love verse 18: "as far as it depends on you, live at peace with one another."  Paul isn't telling us to abandon our personal convictions or allow the integrity of God's Word to be compromised.  (Even the most cursory glance at Paul's writing reveals his love of Christ and his passion for sharing the Gospel.)  But in his travels and his dealings with so many congregations, Paul learned to recognize what was worth fighting for.  And more importantly -- what WASN'T.

I've heard this quote attributed to William Penn, Martin Luther and Thomas a' Kempis but regardless of who originated it, it's a quote for the generations and a good one to commit to memory:
"In essential things, Unity;
in non-essential things, Liberty;
in all things, Love."

AMEN!