Proper 17B - September 3rd 2006
Readings
The reading from James and the gospel reading are about integrity. Holiness grows from the inside and when allowed to grow produces "blessing" in all that a person does.
Just going through the motions of ritual does nothing to what goes on inside us - so we can appear to be "good" because we do the right things, but that goodness is only skin deep.
Jesus turns the laws of Leviticus on their head. He says: "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him unclean by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of man that makes him 'unclean'."
This teaching is captured by Shakespeare - "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"? (Hamlet) Bits and Pieces: from Brian Stoffregen: Note also that the words translated "wash" and "washing" in v. 4 are "baptizo" and "baptismos," which, as you might guess, are the words usually translated "baptize" and "-baptism."
Lady Macbeth has been washing the spots off her hands for centuries and will never rid herself of the ?damn spot? by all that scrubbing.
Someone is orphaned through AIDS every 15 seconds. |
| Many children will be starting school this coming week. They will be told the rules. Today's readings suggest that this isn't good enough and that we need to live "inside-out" to live well. This goes against the "outside-in" which is the "rules" way. So should we be helping our children relaise that it isn't good enough just to follow the rules? a Blessing from rootsontheweb |
