Last week we discussed Jesus answering the Pharisees question about the "greatest commandment," and what he meant by loving God with all our hearts, minds and souls in connection with what the "messiah, Χριστός - Christ, means. We are able to do so with Christ present with us in our hearts, minds and souls - in everything we are and do. In doing so, we lose ourselves to God's will and service to God and our neighbors. A humbling but wholly fulfilling experience. As we say in our baptismal service - with God's help. We celebrate the presence of Christ in the sacrament of his body and blood when we celebrate, with thanksgiving, the Eucharist each week.
Speaking of the Pharisees, this week Jesus tells us "...do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them."
We learn more about humility, and hypocrisy, about "playing rhythm guitar" to Jesus, as The Rev. Roy T. Bird puts it. in "Charades and Reality" We will consider what it means to "practice what we preach," and why we sometimes say, or act out "do as I say, not what I do." How can we be helped when we fall short? What is it to live an "authentic" life? How can we live "authentic" lives. Check out Steve Godfrey's "Authentic Leadership" in his Blog The Church in the World. What does Jesus tells us about our burdens?
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