Lectionary Readings for August 29, 2021
Reading One: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 (NRSV)
Song: Come Thou Fount (lyrics here)
Reflection
If the lectionary readings for this week have a theme, it could be described in three words from this classic hymn: “prone to wander.” Here in Deuteronomy we find Moses offering final words of instruction to the people of Israel, who are poised to enter the Promised Land following years of wandering in the wilderness. As he reminds them of their covenantal obligations, he reminds them that the purpose of God’s law is to keep them on a steady course. They are not to deviate from it, particularly by adding to or subtracting from God’s instructions.
“You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the LORD your God with which I am charging you.” (v. 2)
Moses tells the people that not only will remembering God’s law and his rescuing power keep them safe in the Promised Land, it will also serve as a witness to other nations that the God of Israel has drawn near to his people (vv. 6-7)
But the truth is that the same tendency towards idolatry that led to the golden calf is still part of Israel. The rest of the Old Testament bears witness to the ways they often wander from the commands that God gave through Moses.
But before we judge Israel too harshly, we need to remember—the same tendency lives in us. We are “prone to wander,” as the hymn puts it. And one of the ways we wander echoes Moses’ warning in Deuteronomy 4:2—we have the ability to add to (and subtract from) God’s word as it suits us, elevating our human traditions and teachings to equal footing with Scripture.
We live in a time when the tempting voices of idolatry surround us every bit as much as they did in the days of ancient Israel. They may not be as obvious, but the truth is that makes them even more dangerous. More than ever the prayer of Christ’s followers needs to be “bind my wand’ring heart to Thee.” And just as it was true for Israel, a church that remains close to Jesus in that way will show a hurting world the God who has drawn near.
When you consider the phrase “prone to wander,” how has that phrase been true in your own life? How have you experienced the pursuing love and grace of God in the midst of your wanderings? What voices and desires continue to hold sway over you at times? Spend some time in prayer asking God’s goodness to draw you close and “seal your heart for his courts above.”
Reading Two: Psalm 15 (NRSV)
Song: Psalm 15 (lyrics here)
Reflection
There are some who believe passages like Psalm 15 served as a “call and response” entrance liturgy for pilgrims who had made their way to Jerusalem and desired to enter the temple grounds. The pilgrim would begin by asking the question aloud:
“O LORD, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?” (v. 1)
The rest of the psalm contains the priest’s response, inviting those who have come to worship to take stock of their own lives before entering the holy grounds of the temple. This becomes even more evident when you consider that the grammar in the Hebrew implies continuing action. It’s addressed to the present moment, as if inviting real-time introspection. A more literal translation would read something like:
“The one who is walking blamelessly
The one who is doing what is right
The one who is speaking truth from the heart.” (v. 2)
It’s that invitation to self-examination that makes Psalm 15 a powerful pairing to the other texts this week. It is a short yet powerful word that speaks to the voices that often pull us away from a “blameless walk.” In just five verses we are warned against some of the most dangerous wanderings a soul can embark on:
-Deception (v. 2)
-Slander (v. 3)
-Mistreating friends and neighbors (v. 3)
-Tolerating evil (v. 4)
-Forsaking promises (v. 4)
-Taking advantage of others (v. 5)
What strikes me about these particular subjects is that the focus is almost entirely on how we treat other people. The invitation into God’s presence requires an examination not just of our behavior, but our relationships. How have we hurt those around us, and how might that be a hindrance to our fellowship with God? This invitation echoes Jesus’ own words:
“So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matt. 5:23-24, NRSV)
As you sit and pray with this psalm, put yourself in the sandals of those who would have made the pilgrim journey to Jerusalem for a festival of worship. As you stand before the temple, the place where God dwells, you are invited to look deep into your heart and examine your relationships with others. Invite the Holy Spirit to bring to mind places where those relationships need attention, where you have (purposely or inadvertently) hurt someone else, and have yet to seek full reconciliation. If reconciliation is possible, ask God to show you the first steps to take. If reconciliation isn’t possible for some reason, ask God to work in your heart so that the brokenness does not fester. Offer it to the Lord as a sacrifice, and ask him to bring the healing only he can give.
Reading Three: James 1:17-27 (NRSV)
Song: I Want a Principle Within (lyrics here)
Reflection
This passage from James echoes both of our Old Testament texts. It invites us to self-reflection. It asks us to examine our relationships with others (particularly our response of anger). And it reminds us that the key to godliness is a humility before God’s word, just as Moses encouraged the Israelites.
James’ image of standing before a mirror and then walking away and immediately forgetting what you look like is a powerful one. God’s word reveals who we truly are, who we were created to be. To be humble before the word is to see ourselves through God’s eyes. But again, we are so “prone to wander,” and sometimes it can happen so quickly. I know from my own experience how I can go almost immediately from reading God’s word or spending time in worship to embracing attitudes and behaviors that are far from his plan for me.
I was completely unfamiliar with Charles Wesley’s hymn “I Want a Principle Within” (sometimes called “A Tender Conscience) until this past week when researching songs on personal holiness. It’s a powerful lyric that takes us on the personal journey James implores followers of Jesus to take:
“Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.” (v. 21)
The truth is that this kind of reflection is a constant need. The pilgrims of Psalm 15 were standing before the temple of God, but in Christ the temple is no longer an outward reality. We ourselves are God’s temple (1 Cor. 16), and as such every day is an invitation to seek holiness and humility before “the implanted word.”
As you sit with this passage from James, you are invited to pray with Charles Wesley’s words. Sit and read them slowly. Chew on them a bit, let them stir, inspire, or even provoke you. Ask the Holy Spirit to stir a deeper desire for holiness, so that the voices which tempt us to wander might be rendered powerless.
I want a principle within of watchful, godly fear,
A sensibility of sin, a pain to feel it near.
I want the first approach to feel of pride or wrong desire,
To catch the wandering of my will, and quench the kindling fire.
From Thee that I no more may stray, no more Thy goodness grieve,
Grant me the filial awe, I pray, the tender conscience give.
Quick as the apple of an eye, O God, my conscience make;
Awake my soul when sin is nigh, and keep it still awake.
Almighty God of truth and love, to me Thy power impart;
The mountain from my soul remove, the hardness from my heart.
O may the least omission pain my reawakened soul,
And drive me to that blood again, which makes the wounded whole.
More of you and less of us
More of you and less of us
More of you and less of us Jesus
Reading Four: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 (NRSV)
Song: Awakening (lyrics here)
Reflection
Having started with a warning from Moses not to add to God’s commands, we now find Jesus in a verbal tussle with some Pharisees, a tussle that is rooted in that very warning. The Pharisees were known for the 613 laws they had developed which they believed would keep them pure and righteous before God. The traditions may have started out with good intent, but over time they became outward rituals only. As one pastor once put it:
“What started out as a legitimate religious symbol has become a stage for spiritual play-acting.” (David McKenna)
Jesus doesn’t mince any words with them, pointing out their hypocrisy with a stinging rebuke from the prophet Isaiah:
“This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (v. 6)
“Their hearts are far from me.”
Once again, we are reminded of how easy it is to wander. Even religious leaders are susceptible to that danger. When Jesus speaks to the ways tradition has usurped God’s command (v. 8), he is offering a word that is just as timely today as it was then. So often it is not the obvious things that become idols—it is the things that started with good intentions, but were wrongly elevated in our hearts and minds. As Jesus stated, our human precepts can become doctrines (v. 7), and when that happens we have, indeed, wander far.
Sara Groves’ song “Awakening” captures the truth of how we can lose sight of Jesus, blinded by the very things designed to draw us closer to him:
“I woke up this morning and realized
Jesus is not a portrait
Or stained glass windows
Or hymns
Or all the tradition that surrounds us”
As we close this week’s reflections, I believe God is inviting us to allow him to strip away things that have, without our realizing it, become idols in our lives. And I believe he is inviting us to pray for the body of Christ as a whole, that all who claim Christ as Lord would be protected from the kind of hypocrisy the Pharisees displayed. Where it is already present, we pray that by the Spirit’s power it would be rooted out.
And of course, that journey begins with us. So as we started, we finish—on our knees, asking God to “seal us for his courts above.” But the “us” is really dual purpose—we offer that prayer for ourselves as individuals, but also for the church around the world. Where have we allowed tradition to obscure the true power of the cross? Where have we elevated human doctrines above the gospel? What voices have become more important to us than that of Jesus? Spend some time in prayer asking God to purify his people, that our witness would be multiplied so that all would know that God is near to those who call on him.
I've known for quite a while that I am not whole
I've remembered the body and the mind, but dissected the soul
Now something inside is awakening
Like a dream I once had and forgot
And it's something I'm scared of and something I don't want to stop
I woke up this morning and realized
Jesus is not a portrait
Or stained glass windows
Or hymns
Or all the tradition that surrounds us
I thought it would be hard to believe in, but it's not hard at all
To believe I've sinned
And fallen short
Of the glory of God