Hi everyone,
Welcome to worship on this 19th Sunday after Pentecost, landing on September 29, 2024!
The bulletin can be found here. You can use it to follow along with the order and words of worship as well as the sermon. Alternatively, the words that you need to know as well as the lyrics for the hymns will show up on your screen, and the sermon is on this page below the embedded video.
If you’d like to enhance your online worship experience, you may have a lit candle in your space from the beginning of the service and extinguished near the end, at the same time the altar candles are extinguished after the sending hymn. You are also welcome to participate in communion if you’re comfortable, by having something small to eat and drink ready for the appropriate time. Further instruction will be given then.
May God’s gracious calling and identity ring in your hearts, this day and always!
May the word of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be pleasing to you, O God, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
So I finally did it. After about a year or so of wanting, wishing, even coveting, I finally got myself a Logitech G29 steering wheel and shifter to quell my need for fast driving amidst these… how should we say… fluctuating gas prices. In the very slim chance that you don’t know what a Logitech G29 is, it’s basically a steering wheel controller that you hook up to your computer or compatible gaming console to play driving games. Or I should say more specifically, realistic driving simulators. And from what I read, this particular model that I got is considered entry level, but only because of its price. In terms of performance and capability, it’s actually one of the better ones.
I know what you might be thinking, who cares? Isn’t it just a video game? Well let me tell you something… yeah you’re pretty much right. But ever since I was able to drive an actual race-prepped car around a real race track a few years ago, I’ve been wanting to relive that excitement and joy. And while this driving a simulator is a very far cry from the real thing, it actually isn’t bad.
If you could learn how to drive it properly, that is.
What I mean is, it’s called a driving simulator for a reason. They try to make it as realistic as possible given the technology we have available. I mean, of course the car turns when you turn the wheel and the car slows down when you apply the brakes, but it also adds some real life dimensions to it too. Like if you stomp the gas the wheels could spin out and when you take turns too fast it’s easier to lose control. The laws of physics that we learn in basic driver education applies to these games.
Which isn’t exactly a bad thing. Truth be told another motivator for me getting this wheel aside from me wanting to have fun playing games, but it was also for my kids to get an idea of how a car handles, as they’ll be learning how to drive soon. So I’m hoping that these games would teach them, or at least give them a glimpse of not just what are the rules around traffic safety, but also the laws of physics and how a car handles, how speed affects control, and how driving like the Fast and Furious movies doesn’t really always work.
I know, a game might not be the best way to teach someone how to drive, but it’s my hope that these laws of physics, like forward momentum, acceleration, directional velocity, and other terms I like to use to sound smart, will be absorbed a little bit so when it’s time to get behind the wheel of a real car, it won’t be so foreign. These laws of physics are relatively consistent on this planet, so I think it’s important we’re familiar with them. Not just for driving mind you, but for so many areas of life.
But the funny thing about laws in general though, is that we kind of cringe when we hear that word, don’t we? Law? I’m not saying that we’re all criminals or anything like that, but it’s just that for whatever reason, the definition of “law” has changed a bit for us, it has a more negative connotation to it now. When we hear “law” we hear strict rules, cramped limits, and overwhelming burdens. Because when we think of law we think of things we must do and other things that we mustn’t. We think of being scolded, chastised, and even punished. To us, the law brings shame, guilt, and even oppression. So yeah, we’re not fans of the term “law.”
This hate affair we have with the law is apparent in our Psalm for today, Psalm 19, where in verse 7 in the translation that we use says that the “teaching of the Lord is perfect.” That isn’t so bad until we learn that a lot of other translations has “law” in there instead. The actual word that it’s being translated from is “torah,” which we all likely know as the first 5 books of our bibles, also known as the Law of Moses. So “torah” usually equals “law” in our heads. Usually, but not today. Which is kind of too bad as I would think a Psalm like this might change a few minds about the law.
I mean, it says that the law of the Lord is perfect, it restores our souls, and it gives us wisdom. The law is just, and it brings rejoicing to our hearts. The law is clear and gives light to the eyes. That sounds pretty not bad, right? Hearing that maybe I want to honour my parents more, keep the Sabbath holy, and maybe not kill anyone. Maybe reading this will help us to want to not lie, not use God’s name in vain, not covet our neighbour’s donkeys. Maybe we can learn to want to follow all these laws and rules that we find throughout scripture that tell us what is what, and who is who.
But we don’t get that “law” language today. Today we get “teachings” which really seems to change it up, doesn’t it? I guess it should, as “teachings” is a bit more palpable. “Teachings” is a bit easier to swallow. “Teachings” actually, in my opinion, is more accurate, at least for our vernacular in these days.
Because to me, God’s Law isn’t law like we see laws today. These rules that we ascertain from the bible aren’t these commandments that we often think they are. This torah that we might have thought as something we have to follow and obey is less demanding than it is descriptive. See I think this law isn’t as much like the law of the land but more like the laws of physics that we were talking about earlier. Scripture isn’t telling us what we must or mustn’t do, but teaching us why we should or shouldn’t do and what happens because of it.
Like how the laws of physics teach us that if we crank the wheel too hard and going 120 around a hairpin, we will lose control and possibly flip our car, virtual or not, so scripture teaches us that God comforts us in our stress and distress. Like how the laws of physics teach us that dropping from 6th to 3rd at redline will likely blow your transmission, so scripture tells us that God is with us even in the low parts of our lives and thus worthy of praise. Just as the laws of physics teach us what is appropriate driving behaviour, so Jesus teaches us what it’s like to be the salt of the earth. Salt that brings flavour to community and relationship. Salt that can never change its nature of being salt. Salt that is purified by the teachings of God.
You see this is what we are called to be. Not by our own effort, but solely by the will and grace of God. If it were to be by our own effort, then this torah truly is law as we see law now. But be glad that it isn’t, because we wouldn’t be able do it. We see the Israelites complaining because their being saved from slavery isn’t good enough. Then we see Moses complaining about their complaining. Then we have the appointed judges complaining about others being appointed, and we have the disciples doing basically the same thing. Like seriously? Looking at these stories we can almost relate, and then it doesn’t exactly seem like we deserve to be called children of God. We fall short too. We lose sight of the gospel. We cringe away from these laws and rather drive at our own pace.
But that is the ironic beauty of it all. We don’t deserve it. We don’t get it right. We can’t do it on our own.
That is why we need God. That is why we are saved by grace. That’s why this torah isn’t so much law as it is teaching, encouraging descriptions, just telling us what is that is whether we want it that way or not. And I find that liberating. I find that utterly freeing. I find that supremely healing knowing that it isn’t about us and our failures, but it’s about this gift of forgiveness, this gracious welcome, and this inclusive salvation that God grants to us all.
This salvation is what lifts us up as people of God. This salvation is what declares us as salt of the earth. This salvation is law, teaching us who we are and whose we are and that revives our souls.
So in this season after Pentecost, may we continue learning from God’s welcome and grace, that we might in turn be welcoming and gracious to all that we encounter. Thanks be to God. Amen.