Mindful Christianity

Pentecost 14 + Mark 7:1-131 + Pastor Petri The Role of Traditions in the Life of the Church You’ll think I’m crazy for closing the garage door as I do. But years ago, I’d drive half-way to work and then wonder, “Did I close that door?” To remove this doubt, I began to stop my car while backing out of the drive, and from there I’d watch the door go down. But after a week I began to ask if I really saw it or was just remembering yesterday. So I started also slapping my leg as a physical clue that I had shut the door—until that too became rote. Finally, I’d stop, close the door, slap some part of me and shout a random word, (a different one each day). Sooner or later, I’m worried a concerned neighbor will rush over, drag me from my car, put a book between my teeth, and call a paramedic—not realizing that I’m just closing my garage door. You could call my ritual senile or quirky...or a ‘tradition’—a series of acts meant to preserve a memory. And I need this. For though I know Jesus loves me, a tiny voice in my head says, “Did God truly forgive you? Did he really close the door on your past sins?” And I need a constant assurance. Now, some folks reject this. They scorn traditions as being mere mumbo-jumbo. Who needs creeds? Who needs hymns and all that standing up and sitting down? Well, in today’s Gospel, we see that everyone does. It’s just that they don’t see it until someone takes it away.

[THE TENDENCY (Mark 7:1-5)] In Mark 7, the Pharisees dog-piled onto Jesus for just this reason. The disciples were eating without the proper washings. The disciples’ practice was unacceptable. Now keep in mind, the Jewish alternative was not really hygienic either. Their custom of ritual washings was a runaway extension of a once-priestly practice.2 In time, it spilled past the taber- nacle, had prayers added to it,3 and was imposed on the people at mealtimes. But it wasn’t scrip- turally mandated. The Pharisees even said, “WHY DO YOUR DISCIPLES IGNORE THE ELDERS’ TRADITIONS?” They hated the disciples’ behavior, yet they engaged in a tradition that was just as unbiblical. In other words, the world back then was much like ours. In our case, what once was rooted in Scripture as ‘the Lord’s Day’ is now a day for everyone but the Lord. People still observe Sundays as ‘a day of rest’: to camp, shop, fish, or go anywhere for personal renewal except to God. Such people don’t need church with its stuffy traditions...until they show up for a wedding, a funeral, or for free counseling. They’ll keep those traditions. Yet are we any better? We are here to worship, but if a stranger sits in our seat, or if a hymn is played too fast or too slow, or the creed is left out, we complain that “it just didn’t feel like church.” If we lose sight of God because the human element distracts us, we’ve fallen for “the traditions of men.”

1 Unless otherwise noted, all passages are from The English Standard Version of the Bible. 2 These originally had to do with priests entering the tabernacle (Ex 30:19) “...with which Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands....” 3 Their prayer: “Blessed be Thou, O Lord, King of the universe, who sanctified us by the laws and commanded us to wash the hands.” (Lane) [THE TRAP (Mark 7:6-13)] Jesus told the Pharisees that this is a religion that’s mindless. As God says through Isaiah, “IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF 4 MEN.” And yes, traditions can be empty, which is never good. Jesus warns against this. But they are not bad in themselves. In fact, the Bible is full of praise for them if they keep one focused on God. St Paul commended the Corinthians for maintaining the traditions he brought to them.5 The repetitious sharing of words and actions can even strengthen a person’s faith!6 The problem Jesus saw was not traditions per se, but the Pharisees’ desire to set their traditions over God. A similar trap is sprung when our preferences take center stage. If we can’t praise God on account of someone being dressed the wrong way, or because the music is of the wrong sort, or because the pastor mispronounced a word, then we have a problem. It’s got nothing to do with the failings of others but with us. The very notion that a church or individual must satisfy my expectations compels everyone else to enter my comfort zone where I am not challenged and need not grow. Where that’s the case, the problem is not that a church has empty rituals, but that we believe our empty rituals are better. And frankly, if someone thinks that way, giving in does them no true favor. So what can be done?

[THE TREATMENT (Isaiah 29:13-14)] God gives us his recommended treatment in Isaiah 29. It’s kind of tricky, so pay attention: There, God scolds Judah for falling into a religion of mindless ritu- als, worshiping God with their lips while their hearts were far from him. So what did God sug- gest? “THEREFORE, BEHOLD, I WILL AGAIN DO WONDERFUL THINGS WITH THIS PEOPLE.” Ah, but what appears wonderful to God may not be so to his people. The Lord goes on to say, “THE WISDOM OF 7 THEIR WISE MEN WILL PERISH.” God’s “wonderful” plan was to strike Judah down! If Judah could not close the door on its nasty old sins, God would. In fact, he was going to slam that door shut! He would punish Judah so that they could start over from scratch. Pretty ‘wonderful’. Yes? No? We say yes. For Jesus faced that wrath on our behalf. He gave his cheek and allowed the Judge to strike him.8 He bore our shame on the cross, and afterwards was tossed in a tomb. And God slammed its door shut! Did he wonder later if he’d forgotten to close it? No! That chapter was drawn and sealed! Only days later, was the door opened. Jesus came out transformed, and an- nounced our transformation. And though ours is still incomplete, he calls us with mercy over and over. This is the Church’s message, an assurance given in traditions handed down to each generation so each can have a mindful Christianity that learns in word and song, when sitting and standing, in prayer and praise, that we can live in hope. Empty, mindless ritual? Hardly. To those of us who can’t even remember if we closed our garage doors, it’s a joy to be reminded in so many rich ways that God closed the door of death and we don’t have to be uncertain. Amen.

4 Mat 6:7 “When you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” 5 1Co 11:2 “Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.” 6 2Th 2:15 “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” 7 Through the invasion of Sennacherib, God would render Judah—who sought help from Egypt instead—helpless, so it must rely on God. 8 Lam 3:30-31 “Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. 31 For the Lord will not cast off forever.”