Thought for Today
Ruth 4:7 Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one took off a sandal and gave it to the other; this was the manner of attesting in Israel.
Psalm 119:132 Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your custom toward those who love your name.
Luke 4:16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,
Luke 22:39 He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him.
I enjoy writing. Crafting these Thoughts and developing my sermons are for me very pleasurable events. AI is currently much in the news and we are being told that AI will revolutionize our lives. Maybe that is so. However, I do not avail myself of any of the AI apps for writing. I understand that many are enthralled with ChatGPT-OpenAI. I have read many stories about its advantages and its perils. Microsoft Word has developed and distributed a version of that named Copilot. It has been installed on my computer during one of the recent software updates. I neither like it nor do I generally use it. I have not yet gone to the extreme of disabling it. I enjoy writing. I enjoy crafting the words I carefully choose to express and share the thoughts on my mind.
Yesterday, I wrote about the customs associated with celebrating the Eucharist. Copilot repeatedly suggested that I had misused the word ‘paten,’ thinking that I meant to either write ‘patent,’ ‘patient,’ or some other word. Just to make sure I was correct, I referenced the word in my Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms where I found “A plate, often of gold or silver, used to hold the bread in Holy Communion. It often covers the top of the chalice that holds the wine.” (pg. 203).
As a seminary student, I was once chastised by a minister because I did not know the proper terms for all of the various parts of a Protestant sanctuary. Interestingly, that subject never came up in any of the courses I took in seminary. A few of the terms do regularly appear as crossword puzzle clues; and, I have learned to recognize those.
This morning, I continue to wonder whether God cares about the specific ways we worship, the particular terms and definitions we assign to our worship, the names we assign to parts of our places of worship. Or, is God’s main concern that we worship? Is it possible that God mostly is concerned with whether or not we “Luke 10:27 love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself?"
Pondering that question led me to thinking about our customs. For what it’s worth, the word ‘custom’ only appears about 2 dozen times in the Bible. I wrote yesterday, however, “Even the most cursory reading of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy presents a plethora of sacrifices, purification practices and even the required clothing for the priests.” Much of the Torah deals with the specific customs, rites and rituals of worship.
Protestants have our own customs separate from those of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Some of ours evolved from our earliest ancestors-in-the-faith. Some of ours evolved during the Reformation in opposition to the practices of the Catholic church. The most common explanation given when a custom or practice is called into question is “We’ve always done it that way!”
It is God’s custom to be gracious to all who love God’s name. It was Jesus’ custom to go to the synagogue on the sabbath day, and to stand up to read. And, when he was tired or troubled, it was Jesus’ custom to retire to an isolated place and pray.
Lent has always been a time for preparation and a time of anticipation. As we prepare and as we anticipate, we continue to pray and to worship. This is our custom. Tomorrow is Palm Sunday or, for some, Passion Sunday. For many of us, the custom of waving palm fronds will be celebrated. Many Christians find great comfort in customs, in doing things the way we have always done them. And, that’s okay.
Most importantly, however, is that during Lent and during the rest of the year, we continue to pray to God, we continue to worship God, and we continue to love each other.
Stay safe, make love and prayer your customs, trust God,
Pastor Ray