i do not want to be a snake in the grass

July 18, 2020,

Good afternoon everyone,

" Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ' The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.  They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.' "      Matthew 23:1-4

About a month ago, I invited you to read the Gospel of Matthew. One sitting would have been the best, but read it as you can. For the times that I will be preaching on the Gospels, it will be from Matthew this year. As Christians, the problem is that we know most of the stories, or parts of most of the stories so well. The book begins with Jesus' ancestors, and then the story of the Wise Men continues the tales of Jesus of Nazareth. At the end of the Gospel,  there are two stories of the Resurrection, and then Jesus ascends to heaven and the book ends.

The miracles, the healings and the teachings are inspiring. I wonder what it was like to wake up every morning with Jesus holding you a cup of tea. Everyday would have brought uncertainty and excitement. Who would be healed today ? Would he raise someone from the dead ? Would the Roman soldiers arrest some of us this morning ? What do read between the lines from the Gospel of Matthew ? So many questions.

My thoughts are always going back to Matthew 23. It is during the last week of Jesus' life, after he comes to Jerusalem. While there, he goes off on the leaders of the Jewish faith. " Woe to you ! ", he says more than five times. The leaders seem to not do anything right in terms of faith in God. " For they do not practice what they preach ." That is the worst thing that you can say about a rabbi ( or a minister ), I think . He calls them a " brood of vipers !". The snake was the most evil of animals, and Jesus says to anyone who would listen that he thinks the professional clergy were the worst snakes. He ends the blast against the people who are called to lead, by saying they have left the Temple desolate . Chapter 23 is hard for me to listen to because I hold the same position as the Jewish leaders.

I have worked for Mennonite Central Committee, been in Seminary or been a  leader in three churches since the age of 21. I want to remain a good leader, and not fall into the dangers of power. I do not want to abuse the trust that has been given me in any of the positions that I have held in my ministry . The Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and the rabbis were called, and some of them went astray, and used their power for their own pleasure and gain. I want to be faithful.

Matthew 23: 1-38 is for me, as a leader in the Christian faith, a call to be vigilant in the way that I lead . Keep me near the cross, O God

Prayer

Keep me on the narrow,

and the straight.

Keep me focused on your Son,

his teachings,

his miracles

his difficult parables

his tough woes.

Keep me close,

So I might taste salvation

Every day, every hour, every second.

AMEN.

Fred

Tread on bold new paths !

Fireflies flash the direction

Hope springs eternal           Monica Pieper Landoni 2020

Fred Redekop

Pastor

Poole Mennonite Church