Do Not as They Do - 11/1/2020
Call to worship:
L: We are children of one God!
P: One God has created us!
L: Therefore we will be faithful to one another,
P: And we will honor the covenant of our ancestors.
A: Come, sisters! Come, brothers! Great is our God, and greatly to be praised!
Opening Hymn: O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing #57
1. O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer's praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!
2. My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honors of thy name.
3. Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
'tis music in the sinner's ears,
'tis life, and health, and peace.
4. He breaks the power of canceled sin,
he sets the prisoner free;
his blood can make the foulest clean;
his blood availed for me.
5. He speaks, and listening to his voice,
new life the dead receive;
the mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.
6. Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb,
your loosened tongues employ;
ye blind, behold your Savior come,
and leap, ye lame, for joy.
7. In Christ, your head, you then shall know,
shall feel your sins forgiven;
anticipate your heaven below,
and own that love is heaven.
my great Redeemer's praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!
2. My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honors of thy name.
3. Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
'tis music in the sinner's ears,
'tis life, and health, and peace.
4. He breaks the power of canceled sin,
he sets the prisoner free;
his blood can make the foulest clean;
his blood availed for me.
5. He speaks, and listening to his voice,
new life the dead receive;
the mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.
6. Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb,
your loosened tongues employ;
ye blind, behold your Savior come,
and leap, ye lame, for joy.
7. In Christ, your head, you then shall know,
shall feel your sins forgiven;
anticipate your heaven below,
and own that love is heaven.
Opening Prayer:
O God of hosts, from the rising to the setting of the sun your name is great! We gather to glorify your name and to rededicate ourselves to the covenant between us. Ours is a covenant you have inscribed in life and peace; it is written upon the tablets of our hearts. Shine there your light; reveal to us your Word, and we will not stumble.
Epistle Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2: 9-13
9 You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters;[a] we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. 11 As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, 12 urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
13 We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.
Hymn: I’ll Praise My Maker While I’ve Breath #60
1 I'll praise my Maker while I've breath;
and when my voice is lost in death,
praise shall employ my nobler powers.
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
while life, and thought, and being last,
or immortality endures.
2 Happy are they whose hopes rely
on Israel's God, who made the sky
and earth and seas, with all their train;
whose truth for ever stands secure,
who saves th'oppressed and feeds the poor,
for none shall find God's promise vain.
3 The Lord pours eyesight on the blind;
the Lord supports the fainting mind
and sends the laboring conscience peace.
God helps the stranger in distress,
the widow and the fatherless,
and grants the prisoner sweet release.
4 I'll praise my God who lends me breath;
and when my voice is lost in death,
praise shall employ my nobler powers.
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
while life, and thought, and being last,
or immortality endures.
Children's Time with Pastor Kay (video)
Prayer of Dedication:
Maker of dawn and dusk, of morning sun and evening star, how countless are your faces! They are not like masks, donned according to whim, taken off and put on to confuse all who behold you. No, they are like the colors splashed across the western sky at sundown. Their brilliance arrests the eye and lifts the heart, and the sunset needs them all.
We long to live a life worthy of you, Lord, please guide and direct our paths so that one day, we will meet you face to glorious face. Amen.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 23: 1-12
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,[a] and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.[b] 9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.[c] 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
Sermon: Do Not as They Do (video)
Did you ever catch your parents or a teacher doing the very same thing that they had just told you not to do? It’s a kind of mixed feeling thing because on one hand, you think you’ve got one over on them; but on the other hand, you kind of feel like the rug has just been pulled out from beneath your feet. Either way, things are not as they should be.
I can only imagine what Jesus was feeling when he saw the Pharisees going around and telling the people how to worship and how to sacrifice and how to offer everything they had to God; while all the while, they thought of themselves as above the rules or more important because they knew all of the rules. Jesus also knew all of the rules and He lived by them each and every day. And even though he was God’s own Son, and ultimately God, he never considered himself more important than anyone else. And he took on each and every test that human kind would have to face, even facing the most horrible death at the hands of humans, death on a cross.
I think that it is important to note here that Jesus was not condemning all Jews or even all Jewish leaders, but was in fact directing his disgrace towards a certain set of leaders who were exploiting their leadership and using it for their own gain instead of building up the kingdom of God.
It is the purpose of the Gospel of Matthew at this juncture to reveal that when a religious leader is not “practicing what he preaches” then he cannot be legitimate, and therefore is not one to be emulated by others.
It is also fair to point out that when Jesus is talking to these religious leaders and calling them out for their religious indiscretions, he is attacking them with the same language that was used by many in this era. In simple terms, you might even call it trash-talk, but I don’t feel that Jesus was attempting to intimidate the leaders of the synagogue, but merely endeavoring to school them in the correct way to worship God.
The final line in this passage probably hits home to these leaders than anything else Jesus has stated so far. Jesus tells them that if they exalt themselves; if they hold themselves to be more important than anyone else, they will be humbled. But then he adds, that if they humble themselves will be exalted, celebrated, and held high.
If you were watching movies and/or television in the 80’s, then you probably remember the show, Fame, where students who were attending New York’s finest school of the arts fought to be famous and then remembered. I suppose that it is in our human nature or our DNA or something to want the attention of others; to be famous and held up in the spotlight. And this program showed that as well as what happens after they become famous. Suddenly, all of that attention is not as important or as wanted as it once was. In fact, you begin to wonder how you can get rid of the attention. It is my opinion that while it is nice to be remembered by people, it is better to be known by God. And God indeed knows us; he created us, he redeemed us, and he cares for us to this day and forever more. That is the only fame I want or need.
So when you are watching leaders, religious or otherwise, don’t just listen to what they say, pay attention to how they live and if they are “living for God as well as preaching his message” then, and only then, it is ok to do as they do.
And looking to Joshua for advice, we read, “…choose this day whom ye will serve;…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Amen!
Closing Hymn: We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations #569
1. We've a story to tell to the nations,
that shall turn their hearts to the right,
a story of truth and mercy,
a story of peace and light,
a story of peace and light.
Refrain:
For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
and the dawning to noonday bright;
and Christ's great kingdom shall come on earth,
the kingdom of love and light.
2. We've a song to be sung to the nations,
that shall lift their hearts to the Lord,
a song that shall conquer evil
and shatter the spear and sword,
and shatter the spear and sword.
(Refrain)
3. We've a message to give to the nations,
that the Lord who reigneth above
hath sent us his Son to save us,
and show us that God is love,
and show us that God is love.
(Refrain)
4. We've a Savior to show to the nations,
who the path of sorrow hath trod,
that all of the world's great peoples
might come to the truth of God,
might come to the truth of God.
(Refrain)
O God of hosts, from the rising to the setting of the sun your name is great! We gather to glorify your name and to rededicate ourselves to the covenant between us. Ours is a covenant you have inscribed in life and peace; it is written upon the tablets of our hearts. Shine there your light; reveal to us your Word, and we will not stumble.
Epistle Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2: 9-13
9 You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters;[a] we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. 11 As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, 12 urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
13 We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.
Hymn: I’ll Praise My Maker While I’ve Breath #60
1 I'll praise my Maker while I've breath;
and when my voice is lost in death,
praise shall employ my nobler powers.
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
while life, and thought, and being last,
or immortality endures.
2 Happy are they whose hopes rely
on Israel's God, who made the sky
and earth and seas, with all their train;
whose truth for ever stands secure,
who saves th'oppressed and feeds the poor,
for none shall find God's promise vain.
3 The Lord pours eyesight on the blind;
the Lord supports the fainting mind
and sends the laboring conscience peace.
God helps the stranger in distress,
the widow and the fatherless,
and grants the prisoner sweet release.
4 I'll praise my God who lends me breath;
and when my voice is lost in death,
praise shall employ my nobler powers.
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
while life, and thought, and being last,
or immortality endures.
Children's Time with Pastor Kay (video)
Prayer of Dedication:
Maker of dawn and dusk, of morning sun and evening star, how countless are your faces! They are not like masks, donned according to whim, taken off and put on to confuse all who behold you. No, they are like the colors splashed across the western sky at sundown. Their brilliance arrests the eye and lifts the heart, and the sunset needs them all.
We long to live a life worthy of you, Lord, please guide and direct our paths so that one day, we will meet you face to glorious face. Amen.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 23: 1-12
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,[a] and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.[b] 9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.[c] 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
Sermon: Do Not as They Do (video)
Did you ever catch your parents or a teacher doing the very same thing that they had just told you not to do? It’s a kind of mixed feeling thing because on one hand, you think you’ve got one over on them; but on the other hand, you kind of feel like the rug has just been pulled out from beneath your feet. Either way, things are not as they should be.
I can only imagine what Jesus was feeling when he saw the Pharisees going around and telling the people how to worship and how to sacrifice and how to offer everything they had to God; while all the while, they thought of themselves as above the rules or more important because they knew all of the rules. Jesus also knew all of the rules and He lived by them each and every day. And even though he was God’s own Son, and ultimately God, he never considered himself more important than anyone else. And he took on each and every test that human kind would have to face, even facing the most horrible death at the hands of humans, death on a cross.
I think that it is important to note here that Jesus was not condemning all Jews or even all Jewish leaders, but was in fact directing his disgrace towards a certain set of leaders who were exploiting their leadership and using it for their own gain instead of building up the kingdom of God.
It is the purpose of the Gospel of Matthew at this juncture to reveal that when a religious leader is not “practicing what he preaches” then he cannot be legitimate, and therefore is not one to be emulated by others.
It is also fair to point out that when Jesus is talking to these religious leaders and calling them out for their religious indiscretions, he is attacking them with the same language that was used by many in this era. In simple terms, you might even call it trash-talk, but I don’t feel that Jesus was attempting to intimidate the leaders of the synagogue, but merely endeavoring to school them in the correct way to worship God.
The final line in this passage probably hits home to these leaders than anything else Jesus has stated so far. Jesus tells them that if they exalt themselves; if they hold themselves to be more important than anyone else, they will be humbled. But then he adds, that if they humble themselves will be exalted, celebrated, and held high.
If you were watching movies and/or television in the 80’s, then you probably remember the show, Fame, where students who were attending New York’s finest school of the arts fought to be famous and then remembered. I suppose that it is in our human nature or our DNA or something to want the attention of others; to be famous and held up in the spotlight. And this program showed that as well as what happens after they become famous. Suddenly, all of that attention is not as important or as wanted as it once was. In fact, you begin to wonder how you can get rid of the attention. It is my opinion that while it is nice to be remembered by people, it is better to be known by God. And God indeed knows us; he created us, he redeemed us, and he cares for us to this day and forever more. That is the only fame I want or need.
So when you are watching leaders, religious or otherwise, don’t just listen to what they say, pay attention to how they live and if they are “living for God as well as preaching his message” then, and only then, it is ok to do as they do.
And looking to Joshua for advice, we read, “…choose this day whom ye will serve;…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Amen!
Closing Hymn: We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations #569
1. We've a story to tell to the nations,
that shall turn their hearts to the right,
a story of truth and mercy,
a story of peace and light,
a story of peace and light.
Refrain:
For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
and the dawning to noonday bright;
and Christ's great kingdom shall come on earth,
the kingdom of love and light.
2. We've a song to be sung to the nations,
that shall lift their hearts to the Lord,
a song that shall conquer evil
and shatter the spear and sword,
and shatter the spear and sword.
(Refrain)
3. We've a message to give to the nations,
that the Lord who reigneth above
hath sent us his Son to save us,
and show us that God is love,
and show us that God is love.
(Refrain)
4. We've a Savior to show to the nations,
who the path of sorrow hath trod,
that all of the world's great peoples
might come to the truth of God,
might come to the truth of God.
(Refrain)