Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost- Week of August 29, 2021

Begin your devotion time by praying this prayer: Holy God, you give us good things. Open our hearts to love and worship You, and help us share out that love and worship with others. Amen.

Reflect on the Way of Love together: This week’s practice on the Way of Love is WORSHIP. What rituals and traditions make up your household’s practice of worship? What new rituals might you “try on� this week?

Adult and Small Child

Read: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Reflect: What a puzzling story! At first it sounds like Jesus is saying we don’t need to wash our hands or our dishes. That’s not quite right, though. When Jesus was alive, some people had special rules about what they would eat and how they would prepare their food as a way to show their love for God. Jesus was fine with that, unless following those rules got in the way of loving God. He says that although we should be careful about what we put in our mouths when we eat, we should also be careful about what comes out of our mouths when we speak. If the words we say aren’t kind and loving, then we’re not doing a very good job of living the way God wants us to, no matter how clean our dishes are.

Respond: Take a sealable container and put something stinky in it. It could be a mix of ingredients (a mix of onion powder, orange juice, and vinegar should do it, but the truly courageous might let some milk sit at room temperature for a few days in advance.) Keeping the lid on, decorate the container with markers, stickers, glitter, or whatever you like. Then open the lid and take a whiff. Even if the outside is perfect, it’s what comes out that really matters!

- Drew Bunting

Adult and Elementary

Read: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Reflect: I have a friend who often says, “Wash your hands, and say your prayers. Jesus and germs are everywhere!� Germs can make us sick, and they are too small to see without a microscope. We need to wash germs off our hands, because we can get germs on our hands without even realizing it. But germs aren’t the only thing that are everywhere--Jesus is also everywhere. One of the ways I remember that Jesus with me everywhere, not just in church, is by honoring him with words or songs throughout the day.

Respond: Sing a song about Jesus every time you wash your hands this week. Try a verse of “Jesus Loves Me,� “Jesus Loves the Little Children,� or any other favorite Sunday School song or hymn. You decide! The song should be about thirty seconds long, the length of time it takes to thoroughly work up a lather and rinse our hands with water.

- Lindsay Gottwald

Adult and Youth

Read: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Reflect: Growing up in Mississippi, I was always told to go “wash up before supper� or that “cleanliness is next to Godliness.� This practice of cleanliness and washing our hands goes all the way back to before Jesus’ time. Obeying many of the laws during this time period was complicated and sometimes really hard. For instance, if a person were to eat food that was considered unclean, then that person literally became unclean. This meant they could not enter the temple, serve God, or even be in the presence of other people. Can you imagine?

One of the rules in this reading has to do with the washing of hands. The disciples sat down for a meal and did not wash beforehand. Of course, this left many to question whether this made the disciples unclean. Jesus responded by telling everyone that it’s okay to have our traditions, rituals, and follow rules, but none of these must come before God because washing before a meal will not make your spirit clean (only your hands!) True cleanliness can only come from within our own hearts.

Respond: This passage is not telling us to stop washing our hands or cleaning up. We all know that, over the past year, we have spent probably hours obsessing over germs and washing our hands. Maybe, instead of singing that typical “birthday song� while you wash your hands for 20 seconds, you could say a prayer. Pray for those in need, pray for those that are sick, pray for your friends and family. At the end of the day, think about all the time you have committed in prayer and opened your heart to God.

- Lauren Wainwright

Adult and Adults

Read: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Reflect: I love to observe the faith habits of people. Even when united by a liturgical resource like the Book of Common Prayer, there are variations that bring the mark of the culture of a faith community. If we’ve done our jobs right as people of faith, we can identify and share the “whys� of the traditions. In this passage, the Pharisees want to know “why.� It’s easy to read this passage and get annoyed with the Pharisees for what appears to be an attempt to trap Jesus into heresy. Invested in Jewish law as a method of preserving their culture, the Pharisees need to understand why Jesus isn’t invested like they are. Instead of focusing on the hostility, let’s consider the curiosity in the question: why is Jesus doing what he does? Jesus responds with a message of liberation. Can we share a similar liberation story when sharing about our own worship traditions?

Respond: Take some time to think about a tradition in your community’s worship that brings you joy - something you look forward to. Do you know the origins of the practice? How long has it been done like that? Identify why the practice is joyful for you, and share with someone one of your favorite memories when you participated in the tradition - be sure to tell them why it makes you happy!

- Regina Heater