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Mark Wheeler
Matthew 23:1-12
“Proper Personal Positioning”
All Saints Day, 11/01/2020
Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church
Welcome to Worship, Church!!! It is such an honor to be gathering together in God’s name, or even meeting on-line – during this Covid season! So it is with heartfelt gratitude that we are here (or “here”) this morning. On this All Saints Day – the liturgical day after which Halloween is named – we enter this time together from all sorts of our own worries and fears, pains and hurts, responsibilities and burdens; I invite you to be very present in this time of gathered worship and prayer – allow our Good Shepherd to share your yoke, and look to Him for strength and comfort. Welcome, Saints!
May the Peace of Christ be with you!
If you haven’t had the chance to greet each other yet – let’s take a second right now, and those in the room, look at the camera and say HI to your friends who are at home.
Welcome to this “gathering” in God’s name. We are assembled in NorthEast Spokane, WA, along with people from all over the world. We are very glad you are “here” with us.
For those who made it into the building this morning – thank you for wearing your masks and following the seating and walking protocols. We do this not to protect ourselves from others, but to protect others from ourselves. Because we love each other, we wear masks and keep distance to keep each other safe from this “invisible potential enemy”. The COVID numbers are still peaking in the greater Spokane area – let’s not give them an opportunity to climb even higher. Our Elders are listening to CDC guidelines and deciding on what seems best practices for each others’ safety. We love you, and we want everyone to be and to stay well.
Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit presence and power, in your homes, through your phones and computers, in this building here, and in your lives. Feel free to laugh at our efforts … and pray with us … and hear and be transformed by God’s Word.
Listen now and join in as Pastor Kathy leads us in our Call to Worship, from Psalm 34 – listen carefully for the ways the Saints praise the Lord together and pray with the Psalmist as you follow along.
Our song of praise today honors those saints who have gone before us – and this 2020 year there have been many – from our own church: Lolabelle Roloff, Vicki Pierce, Jim Samuel, Loreen Birge, Marguerite Haverfield, Arthilyn Lemley, Kathy Samuel. Doris Thumm, Kermit Delzer. Think of your loved ones and listen Vern reminds us of God’s everlasting presence – The Next Step – led by Julie on the piano.
Through the Written Word,
And endorsed by our spoken word,
May we know Your Living Word,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Have you ever had reservations at a restaurant, remember when that was a thing we could do?, but your reservation got bumped because somebody with clout walked thru the doors without a reservation? The mayor, a well-known millionaire, maybe a celebrity? I mean, maybe they deserve your table,,, but really? Do they?
Or have you ever looked up to someone, admired her leadership, respected his abilities,,, and then found out about some criminal activity or immoral behavior?
That’s what’s happening in today’s Bible story.
To introduce this passage I’m inviting you to play a round of Simon Says with me, but please listen carefully:
[After a few rounds of Simon Says] You guys did a great job playing Simon Says. Now let’s play it the opposite way. You still need to listen to me say, “Simon Says” before you do a motion. But, in this Opposite Simon Says, you will do the opposite of what I say. If I say, “Simon says, ‘don’t touch your head,’ you will do the opposite and touch your head.” Ready?
Simon says, “don’t clap your hands.” Did you clap your hands? That’s right… good.
- “Simon says, ‘Stand up.’ ” Who stood up? Do the opposite, right?
- “Stand up.” [Still no one should stand up … confusing, right?]
- “Simon says, ‘Don’t pat your head.’ ”
- “Simon says, ‘Don’t stop patting your head.’ ” Who didn’t stop? Opposite …..
- “Pat your stomach.” Ahhh – Simon didn’t say – but even if he did,,, opposite….
- “Simon says, ‘Don’t practice what you preach.” – what do you do?
OK, that’s a weird game – but I want you to think carefully about what happens in today’s story from Scripture. Listen for whether Jesus is talking straight to you, or not…..
Listen here to the Word of God … Matthew 23:1-12 …. —- [The screen will show this passage.]
23 1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Practice what you preach. What does that mean?
I think it means that if you tell someone to do something, you need to do it, too. Practice what you preach means don’t do the opposite thing that you say. Instead do what you say others should do.
In our Bible story today, Jesus has something to say about “practicing what we preach.” Jesus is talking about the teachers of the law and the Pharisees in the synagogue where people went to worship. Jesus says that everything that they do is done so that others would see them and think how great they were. But they don’t do what they tell other people to do. In fact, they do the opposite!
What does Jesus tell us to do about teachers like these?
You might think Jesus would say, “Don’t listen to them! You don’t have to do what they say.” But He doesn’t. Jesus says, “Obey these teachers and do everything they say. But do not do what they do, because they do not practice what they preach.” When it comes to living the Christian life, we need to make sure we do what we say. And do so with the proper attitude of humility.
None of us deserve any of the good God brings us. So, humbly, we position ourselves properly as grateful recipients of God’s grace – and then we funnel that grace on to others!
We pray, “Have mercy on my O Lord.” and we live in ways that demonstrate God’s generous, gracious mercy.
Here’s a little poem that would be good to remember:
We can know a lot of Scripture
And have the gift to teach,
But what is more important —
Is to practice what we preach!
Dear God, help us be people who do what we say so that others can see the love of Jesus in us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer Page – And now – call out a name, a place, a people, a situation, you are lifting to the Lord in prayer …. “Have mercy on us, O Lord.” [Lord’s Prayer] Amen.
– Offering (4449 N Nevada St, Spokane, 99207 ; or CLICK, or text 833-976-1333, code “Lidgerwood”
Friends, today we experience something that is still new to the whole Christian Community – we get to share Communion, literally, with saints from all over the world!
As a reminder – we are still in an unusual life-circumstance wherein keeping distant from each other is the wise option for health – so this is an unusual, irregular, and not-to-be-made-normal practice.
“Virtual Communion” draws from something in the past (the actual sharing of Communion that we have previously experienced and that we read about in the New Testament) and looks forward to something in the future (the restoration of this practice once the present constraints are relaxed).
This should remind us that our usual practices have exactly the same status!
And we look forward to something even much greater—a feast in the Kingdom of Heaven, where our sharing is not just a morsel, but a fully satisfying abundant feast on God and all His abundant goodness with all of creation. Today, in our homes, or when we are restored back to our Christian communities, we experience a mere foretaste of a much fuller reality.
So … from geographically afar, but in Christ, gathered in His name over our phones, tablets and computers … using whatever elements we might have in our own homes … we invite you to …
Join Pastor Kathy as she leads us in prayer – the words will appear on your screens in just a moment – we’ll keep you muted, but please feel free to pray along with Kathy:
>>>
… Communion Song: “For All the Saints”
As Christ sat in that Upper Room, with His disciples, He took the simplest elements of the Passover Meal and made them far more powerfully meaningful. For those of you at home, follow along with me, for those here in this room or upstairs in the overflow room, wait until after ….:
Jesus took the “bread”, and He blessed it and broke it, and said, “This is my Body broken for you, every time you eat of this, do so in memory of me” – as we receive the gift of broken bread, “together”, receive also Jesus as the true Bread of Life….
And He took “the cup”, gave thanks and blessed it, saying “this cup is the Cup of Redemption, the New Covenant, my blood shed for the forgiveness of your sins, every time you drink of this, do so in memory of me” – He also said that He would “not drink of the fruit of the vine again until He sees us in Paradise” – so we look forward to when we shall do this together in person, face-to-face again, and even more-so in the Heavenly Kingdom, face-to-face with Jesus Himself! – as we receive the gift of “this” cup poured out, receive also Christ’s abundant love and the cup that runneth over of God’s abundance for all!
For those gathered here, our Deacons will serve you, if you require help in opening the sealed wafer and cup, just raise your hand, someone will be by to help.
Expedition Song finishes our Communion Hymn, by declaring that “all the saints” from every coast, in every color, from every language and nation call us all to sing God’s praise! – For All the Saints! ….
Next Sunday, like we did today – please RSVP to us if you plan to attend so we can properly set up – and please CALL IN or email or text – so we can share with you what the plans will be – whether we will be allowed to continue to meet or not.
We close with this benediction. Repeat after me:
Grow in the grace and knowledge… Of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… [repeat]
Empowered by His Holy Spirit… Be His people everywhere… [repeat]
And give Him the glory… Now and forever more…! [repeat] Amen
Resources:
https://sermons4kids.com/#sotw; “Practice What You Preach”
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