09-09-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 9, 2023
Where did the week go? I think we’ve all said it, and there are months when it appears that I am saying it every week. Like many of you, I sort of desire to be busy and to always be challenged, as it makes the day go by fast. Donna works at a women’s boutique in the strip mall near the church, and she echoes the importance of being busy at work. It makes the day go by much more quickly. Of course, there is a difference between being busy and being productive. I’m sure we all have had one of those days when we felt crazy-busy but, at the end of the day, asked ourselves, "Did I actually accomplish anything?" I’m sure many of you remember the bumper sticker that came out in the 80s that read, "Jesus is coming. Look busy." I sort of wonder if I confuse busyness with faithfulness, a full calendar with true devotion to the ways of Jesus. In the time of Jesus, there were plenty of people who appeared to be incredibly busy with religious-looking activities and pious practices, but were they honoring God? In the Prophets, and then spoken by Jesus, there is an emphasis on acts of mercy, compassion and justice instead of religious practices in the temple. I don’t believe any of the great voices in scripture were suggesting that worship and ritual were all bad, but they reminded us that worship and ritual are all about preparing us to be the best people we can be in the world, specifically in making real things like mercy, compassion and justice.

​Lord God, help me to never confuse the tools of preparation with the end result. You’ve called me to do more than pray, fast and worship, yet they are important practices if I desire to be faithful to you and the ways of Jesus. May I always remember what the ultimate goal is. Amen.