Pharisees are alive and well on planet earth. This week is VBS week at our church. Our program is a Ranch-Themed evening program, and so by the time I have been at the office all day and running around with kids all night, I am pretty grimy. Last night, I was at home preparing to avail myself of the daily sludge in the shower when I received a call from my pastor. He needed help.
A family in our church recently lost a mother, their original plan was to hold services at the church-home of the deceased. Apparently, there had been a last minute change. The host church's young pastor (a 25 year old independent fundamentalist) had told the family and their guests that they would have to adhere to his rules for music and attire or they could not use their facility.
Needless to say, my phone call at 9:30PM tells you what their choice was. In a flurry of an hour with many hands we transformed a Ranch-themed VBS auditorium to funeral ready. This turn of events wounded the family deeply. But fortunately in addition to legalism, they also were able to taste the sweetness of grace. The Lord was grieved and glorified in the same night. It angers me and breaks my heart at some people's zeal for the wrong things. Christ speaks directly to these types of situations in two places in Matthew's Gospel.
Incidentally, the whole of chapter 23 is worthy reading on this matter.
A family in our church recently lost a mother, their original plan was to hold services at the church-home of the deceased. Apparently, there had been a last minute change. The host church's young pastor (a 25 year old independent fundamentalist) had told the family and their guests that they would have to adhere to his rules for music and attire or they could not use their facility.
Needless to say, my phone call at 9:30PM tells you what their choice was. In a flurry of an hour with many hands we transformed a Ranch-themed VBS auditorium to funeral ready. This turn of events wounded the family deeply. But fortunately in addition to legalism, they also were able to taste the sweetness of grace. The Lord was grieved and glorified in the same night. It angers me and breaks my heart at some people's zeal for the wrong things. Christ speaks directly to these types of situations in two places in Matthew's Gospel.
"For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of
heaven."
- Matthew 5:20
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."
- Matthew 23:27-28
1 comment:
What an opportunity to minister! But how sad that the wounding comes from the body. And your servant heart shines in your helping transform the building to honor their loved one.
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