Slowing down with scripture
The gospel reading for this week is below if you like to read and/or you can listen to it here:
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them.(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.)
So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”
He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”
Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.”
For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
There is a lot to chew over in this scripture, so I suggest that you listen/read through a few times, and see what stays with you, catches your attention and draws you in – or catches your attention and repels you…both are an indication that there is something worth pausing with and dwelling over. Lean in. Ask some curious questions and some wondering questions like:
I wonder what this is connecting with in my story? What is underneath my reaction?
It is easy to stop with some obvious answers here. Slowing down with scripture is an invitation to move past the surface (the externals of observing laws) and to dig into the heart of the matter – what does lie within? And can you bring that gently into the light for transformation?
You might find it helpful to read this passage over several days and let it accompany you through the week. On Sunday, we’ll use it as a springboard to begin the work of bringing our personal and communal values into the light and then we’ll go on to exploring how we turn values into action.
This week the epistle reading is from James – a perfect fit – you can read it here.
Looking forward to gathering together on Sunday morning!
