True Greatness—Mark 9:30-37

Three boys are bragging about their dad. The first says: "when my dad writes something called a poem he gets like $100 for it." Says the second boy: "that's nothing! If my dad writes something called a song he get's like $200 for it." To which the third boy replies: "when my dad writes something called a sermon, after he's done reading it, it takes like eight people to collect all the money for it.

Three boys were talking about their fathers excelence. One of them said: my father is a great professor. When he is talking about a subject, only 10 persons in the world can understand him! The second boy said: my father is great brain surgeon, when he is talking about his surgery only 5 person in the whole world can realize what he is saying. The third boy said: my father is a pastor, when he is preaching nobody can understand what he is saying.

What does it mean to be great?

The world around us uses the word great to describe many different things but what do we use to measure greatness?

World
• Power: A person’s greatness is measured by the things that they have the ability to control
• Prestige: A person’s greatness is measured by the accolades that they receive
• Position: A person’s greatness is measured by where they are in life
• Possessions: A person’s greatness is measured by the things that they own

This might surprise you but Jesus has a totally different view of greatness. Greatness is not measured by what you have or what you can do. It is not measured by who you are or by where you are in life. Greatness for the Christian is more about why you do what you do and who you do it for. Greatness flows out of giving not getting.

In the eyes of Jesus, greatness flows from three things
1.) Sacrifice: We are called to give up who we are right now so we can become who God wants us to be
2.) Service: We are called to give ourselves to others and invest our lives in those around us
3.) Selflessness: We are called to give ourselves to Christ and His Kingdom

I. Greatness flows out of sacrifice
The hope and peace that we have as Christians flows out of the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. Our peace comes from the fact that Jesus traded the glory of heaven for the grime of earth. Jesus gave up the praise of the angels to hear the insults of sinful men. Jesus gave up the position in heaven to take up a position on the cross.

"The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”

Jesus was crucified. Jesus died the most miserable and horrid death known to humanity at the time of His life. Why would He do such a thing?

1. Jesus was willing to die (John 10:11)
Jesus was not forced to go to the cross but rather made the choice to go to the cross because He loved us that much. Jesus had the desire to sacrifice because He loved us more than life itself.

2. Jesus died for redemption (Ephesians 1:7)
Jesus understood the magnitude of our personal need and He died to pay the price for our sins, our failures and our poor choices. Jesus died to pay a debt that he did not owe because we owed a debt that we could not pay.

3. Jesus was revealing God’s plan (Acts 2:23)
Jesus was revealing the master plan of the Father to the disciples and they just could not understand. Jesus was showing them and us that He did not die because a handful of sinful men wanted to kill Him. Jesus died because it was part of God’s master plan to restore a right relationship with humanity.

4. Jesus was revealing great hope (1 Peter 1:3-4)
Jesus gave the disciples a wonderful hope that they would later see as transforming point of their lives. Jesus did die but He was raised from the dead to live forever and reveal the life that only God can give to each and every person.

We have been called to sacrifice
We have been blessed in our nation that we do not face the persecution that much of the church around the world is now facing. God may not call us to give our lives but instead He asks for something much harder - He wants us to give up our will. You will never be able to give your life for Christ unless you surrender the entirety of your will to Him first.

Our calling is to first die to ourselves on a daily basis so that we can live for Christ. Are the things that you are living for worth dying for? If not you’re not really living. It is only when we sacrifice our selfishness that we will truly find the depth of Christ within us.

II. Greatness flows out of Service (33-35)
Our idea of greatness coming from things like position, prestige, power and the like flow out of selfish desire. The simple reality of this is that our selfish desire has no place in our life with Christ.

• We want to have our own way with things
• We want what is best for us
• We want our personal rights
• We want the rewards of life

There is nothing wrong with getting recognition. There is nothing wrong with having position. There is nothing wrong with getting rewarded. As long as, the motivation is for the right reasons. Jesus makes it a habit of lifting up those who serve Him, so that he can be glorified.

Nine years ago I was in an elementary school in Greenfield, Iowa teaching second grade about the Philippine Culture and things were going well, the children were well behaved. We started having problems when it was time to line up for lunch because their was a fight over who got to be at the front of the line.

As the disciples were traveling to Capernaum they were arguing over who was the greatest. They were doing nothing more than fighting over who was the top dog. They were fussing and fighting over who would get to be first. They were acting like those second graders.

We often criticize the disciples in situations like this but if we’re really honest, we aren’t much different from them. There have been times when we have wanted our way. There have been times when we all have fought to move up. There have been times when we have made a fuss over insignificant things. How do we get over this?

1. Remember that we are here to serve Jesus
2. Remember that by serving Jesus we have to serve others
3. Remember that we are not the most important person in the room

III. Greatness flows out of selflessness (36-37)
"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
What is Jesus doing here? Why did He bring this child in while He was talking with the disciples?

The Aramaic word that the Jews used for Child was the exact same word that they used for servant. So Jesus is expanding what he had just said about being a servant. Children were viewed very differently in the first century than they are today. Children had absolutely no rights, no position, no power. They were for lack of a better way to say it, the last in society.

Is Jesus meaning just accepting a child or does he mean something different?

When Jesus uses the word welcome here it would seem that He mean to welcome the nature of a child. This would clearly go hand in hand with His teaching on greatness. To achieve greatness in the eyes of Christ you have to give up to go up.

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3-4

Children were seen not as full persons and given the stature of property. Many rabbis even classified children with the deaf, the dumb, the weak minded and slaves.
Let me say this, children are vitally important to our society and they are vital to the life of the church.

Jesus was gently trying to remind the disciples and us three important things about true greatness

1. We belong to God the Father - We are His and our lives should always be in His hands

2. We rely on God the Father - We cannot make it through life by doing things our way and in our own strength.

3. We are under God’s authority - We live in His favor and His grace

Conclusion
What does it mean to be great?

1.) Sacrifice: We are called to give up who we are right now so we can become who God wants us to be
2.) Service: We are called to give ourselves to others and invest our lives in those around us
3.) Selflessness: We are called to give ourselves to Christ and His Kingdom

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP—MARK 8:27-38

Billy Graham has said, “Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything we have”

In our text this morning Jesus confronts us with what it will cost anyone who wants to be His disciple. It will cost such a Christian everything he has.

Discipleship is the theme in Mark 8:34-38. This is evident in Jesus command, “Follow me” in verse 34. The term “Follow” in the New Testament is reserved for the subject of Discipleship, and it implies total commitment on the part of the disciple to Jesus as Lord. “General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, was asked the secret of his amazing Christian life. Booth answered, ‘I told the Lord that He could have all that there is of William Booth”

To be His Disciple I must: “Deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Him. As Billy Graham says, “It costs me everything I have.”

If I am a Disciple of Jesus, He literally becomes my way of Life, my rule of conduct. Every action and every decision I make is made in the light of “WWJD,” What would Jesus do. As Jesus led a life of Self-denial; so as His disciple I must “deny myself.” Self-denial means I submit everything I am to His control: all my pleasures, all my interests, all my works, all my desires. I hold no area of my life back from Him and His control. No one else can take this step for me; it is a choice I must make on my own free will; one I feely choose to undertake.Self-denial is not the denial of things. Warren W. Wiersbe in A Time To Be Renewed explains it so well: “To deny self does not mean to deny things. It means to give yourself wholly to Christ and share in His shame and death. To take up a cross does not mean to carry burdens or have problems.

Oswald Chambers in the September 13th devotional in My Utmost for His Highest explains self-denial as “Surrender for Devotion”: “The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, with His rest at the heart of my being. He says, ‘If you want to be My disciple, you must give up your right to yourself to Me.’ And once this is done, the remainder of your life will exhibit nothing but the evidence of this surrender, and you never need to be concerned again with what the future may hold for you.

The freedom Jesus gives us when we come to Him in true self-denial: “In submission we are free to value other people. Their dreams and plans become important to us. We have entered into a new, wonderful, glorious freedom, the freedom to give up our own rights for the good of others. For the first time we can love people unconditionally. We have given up the right for them to return our love. No longer do we feel that we have to be treated in a certain way. We can rejoice with their successes. We feel genuine sorrow at their failures. It is of little consequence that our plans are frustrated if their plans succeed. We discover that it is far better to serve our neighbor than to have our own way”

To be a disciple of Jesus will cost me the price of self-denial.

To be a disciple of Jesus I must “take up my cross.” All three Synoptic Gospels give an account of these instructions of Jesus on Discipleship, but Luke elaborates a little more in Luke 9:23: “And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” A disciple of Jesus “takes up his cross” every single day; it is a daily consecration of ourselves to Him, not a once in a life time experience.

Cross-bearing is not an easy road. Crucifixion was the most horrible and painful form of execution in all of human history, and death was usually extremely slow in coming. Jesus makes His point even stronger in Luke 14:27, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple.” Being a disciple of Jesus Christ requires I live a sacrificial life following in the steps of Jesus. This does not mean that a disciple seeks to suffer; but it does mean he will not be surprised when it comes.

Cross-bearing may cost you your physical life. Jesus explains in Mark 8:35, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” A cross-bearing disciple will lay down his life for Jesus and His Gospel if the situation demands; he will not back down. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great German theologian in the first half of the twentieth century said in his The Cost of Discipleship: “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die” [Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1963), 99.] These were not ivory tower academics for Bonhoeffer, who paid the personal cost of discipleship in execution at age 39 on April 9, 1945. He had bravely resisted Hitler and the Nazi State when most of Germany’s clergy supported the Third Reich. In 1943 he was part of a group that tried twice but failed to assassinate Hitler. The word “fuehrer” in German literally means “leader or guide.” Standing up as Christ’s disciple on a radio broadcast in Berlin he had bravely rebuked the German Church for having allied with the Nazi, “‘There can only be one Fuehrer for Christians, and it isn’t Adolf Hitler.’ The radio address was brought to an abrupt halt, a foreboding prologue to things to come.”

All disciples may not have to pay Bonhoeffer’s “cost of discipleship”, but anyone unwilling to do so can not be a disciple of Jesus.

Finally, a disciple of Jesus must “Follow Him.” To follow Jesus means that by the power of the Holy Spirit living in me I “imitate and His leading,” that I “act according to His example. His life is the pattern for living my own. It means I imitate Him completely and continuously consecrate my life to Him.

Jesus’ rhetorical question in verse 37, “For what will a man give in exchange for his soul” clarifies what it means to follow Him. Worldliness has no lasting value. Only our personal, daily relationship with Him as our Saviour and Lord pays eternal dividends. As C. S. Lewis says in The Four Loves: “All human beings pass away. Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose. If love is to be a blessing, not a misery, it must be for the only beloved who will never pass away” [--C. S. Lewis in The Four Loves. Christianity Today, Vol. 39, no. 9.].

Ron Lee Davis in his sermon entitled “Rejoicing in Our Suffering” tells this story: “I remember Tom Landry telling me in the mountains of Colorado years ago, just after they had won the Super Bowl (the Dallas Cowboys, year after year, had been coming so close, and finally that victory had come), ‘The overwhelming emotion—in a few days, among the players on the Dallas Cowboys football team—was how empty that goal was. There must be something more.’” That more is a daily walk with Jesus in which He is our Lord and Master and we are His disciples:

“Only one life will soon be past,Only what’s done for Christ will last.”Jesus calls all of us to be His disciples: to deny ourselves; to take up our cross daily; and to follow Him. Are you His disciple, or are you only a Christaholic? The choice is up to you. “LET US PRAY . . .”“THE SURRENDERED WILL”:LAID ON YOUR ALTAR, O MY LORD, DIVINE,ACCEPT MY GIFT THIS DAY, FOR JESUS’ SAKE;I HAVE NO JEWELS TO ADORN YOUR SHRINE,NO WORLD-FAMED SACRIFICE TO MAKE;AND HERE I BRING WITHIN MY TREMBLING HANDSTHIS WILL OF MINE, A THING THAT SEEMS SMALL;YET YOU ALONE CAN UNDERSTANDTHAT WHEN I YIELD YOU THIS, I YIELD YOU ALL! Amen

The Crumbs Under the Table: Bread Enough for All—Mark 7:24-37

Yesterday afternoon, my family and I went to a local bookstore. It was there that I found an interesting book entitled “The Best Los Angeles Sports Arguments: The 100 Most Controversial Debatable Questions for Die-Hard Fans.” The book had interesting questions such as: What was the worst trade in Los Angeles history?: What’s the better rivalry Dodgers-Giants or Lakers-Celtics?; What was the worst call that went against a local team?

These questions reminded me of a similar question that Christians tend to ask when they read a passage such as what we have today—What do you do with a difficult passage where Jesus shows a disturbing behavior? Remember those images of Jesus holding a lamb, or him being welcoming with the little children? “Jesus loves the children” a song once said. We don’t see that here. Whatever happened to that image of Jesus?

In this passage we are seeing a different side of Jesus. Was Jesus having a bad day? Did he have a split personality? Was he bipolar? How could Jesus say such a thing?

Jesus' referring to Gentiles as dogs - clearly this is one of those difficult gospel moments with which Christians must wrestle with. Who is this Jesus who is disrespectful of other nationalities and religions? What kind of Savior doesn't want to heal a young girl simply because of who her family is? What are we to do with a Christ who is culturally insensitive?

Because this passage is so troubling, Christians through the centuries have tried to sweeten or domesticate it, for example pointing out that the Greek word translated here as "dogs" literally means "small dogs," that is, puppies or house dogs. I don't think that mitigates the insult much. I will admit, however, to getting a chuckle out of the images -- such as Sebastiano Ricci's Christ and the Canaanite Woman reproduced here -- in which a smiling Jesus seems to change his mind because that puppy is just so darn cute!

But I think a more productive approach in this case is not to domesticate this scriptural problem but to embrace it as a moment in which the Kingdom of Heaven breaks opens and becomes more inclusive, a moment in which we are reminded that no one is outside the embrace of God.
In the parallel story in Matthew 15:21-28, the woman is Canaanite, whereas here she is Syrophoenician, but in either case the relevant point is that she is Gentile, a pagan enemy of the Jewish people. Given that Jesus has traveled to Tyre, a Gentile stronghold, it's hardly unexpected that he should run into one of these despised people.

What is perhaps surprising is that this Gentile woman would turn to Jesus for help, but of course a desperate woman will do almost anything to help her sick child. Jesus, however, is not inclined to help her, for (as he notes in the Matthew version) he sees his ministry as intended for "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" and not for the Gentiles (Mt 15:24).

Moreover, he turns her away by using a dining metaphor, one that implies a limited supply of food that only some may eat while others will go hungry. And this shortly after he has managed to feed five thousand people with only five loaves and two fish (Mk 6:30-44)! Surely Jesus of all people should know that God's goodness is bounteous, that there is more than enough food for everyone.

And this is essentially what the Gentile woman points out to Jesus. There's plenty of food for everyone; even once all of those recognized as people, as insiders, are fed, there's still food left over for those who aren't even considered human, the outsiders. And they're all eating the same food; admittedly, some of it is crumbs from the original serving, but it's the same substance. Whether they are at the table or under it, they are all finding nourishment.

And Jesus, apparently moved by her words -- or reminded by her of his own previous miracle -- essentially says, "Good point. You get the same food as all of God's other children anyway, so why not have a seat at the table?" He promptly heals her child, and never again in Mark does he refuse to heal anyone or question anyone's worthiness to be healed. The "dog" becomes a dinner guest and gets to sit at the table with the "children," and because the feast is so bounteous, these additional guests in no way diminish the abundance of food.

This powerful moment is recalled whenever people gather before the Lord’s Table. In the Catholic faith during mass they say the words: "We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen."

After Jesus leaves the Gentile woman, he again feeds the masses -- four thousand this time, in largely Gentile territory and with a Greek-style blessing of food rather than the more customarily Jewish blessing of God in thanks for the food -- and proclaims to his followers that the second great commandment, after loving the Lord "with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength," is "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mk 12:29-31), a lesson he has been reminded of by the Syrophoenician mother.

This same notion of loving neighbors and of treating insiders and outsiders with equal respect is picked up as well in this week's readings from the letter of James, in which the author chastises those who show "favoritism" and who "[make] distinctions among yourselves." He then follows Jesus in preaching the law that "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Similarly, in Psalm 146 (one of the psalms assigned for this Sunday), we are reminded that "the Lord cares for the stranger" -- even strangers of other nationalities, even those we might call "dogs."

Jesus understands our initial dislike to strangers -- after all, he had them himself -- but ultimately there is no one we shouldn't invite to the feast. There is plenty of bread for everyone, even those who have traditionally been relegated to eating crumbs under the table, so we will not go hungry but rather will dine abundantly when we follow Jesus' example and welcome all comers to the table.

One of my Fuller Seminary professor Miroslav Volf wrote a book several years ago entitled "Exclusion and Embrace" where he takes the reader on a sweeping theological exploration of what it means to truly embrace the other. He also points out that Scripture is abounding with examples and perspective from those who represent the oppressed, and the forgotten. The weak and feeble represent a majority portion of the characters in the narrative of Scripture. Volf correctly recognizes this aspect of Scripture, and calls for all Christians to recognize our responsibility to embrace the other in our lives. Those who are weak, and oppressed occupy a special place in the heart of God. That Jesus came to both bring hope to the oppressed, and to offer them the chance at repentance and salvation.

This is what our passage is all about. Scripture is challenging our hearts to learn to embrace the other; those who are different from us; in a way creating a new table.

Obviously the gospel reading involves confrontation and accountability, but it is not Jesus who does the teaching or who initially shows mercy. Instead, a nameless Syrophoenician woman approaches Jesus and asks that he heal her daughter.

Presumably because she is not Jewish, Jesus rejects her request outright: "...it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs" (Mark 7:27). The woman, however, does what no other person in the gospel has done: She persists and persuades Jesus, for "even the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps." She is the only person to win an argument with Jesus in the whole of scripture.

Many have attempted to explain, excuse, or ignore Jesus' disturbing behavior, when, in the words of theologian Sharon Ringe, he was "caught with his compassion down." And with good reason—Mark's portrayal of Jesus is not a typical or comfortable one.

The woman's behavior, on the other hand, has profound importance for the entire Christian community, for she achieved the laying of a new table to which all are invited.

Why the woman was not named nor invited to formal discipleship remains a mystery; however, she still serves as an example of discipleship for all Christians. Like all disciples are called to do, she recognized the new life Jesus had to offer and stopped at nothing to get it, for herself and for her child. Amen

To Wash or Not to Wash—Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

There is a scene in the classic movie Sound of Music were the nuns were trying to look for Maria (played by Julie Andrews). As they were talking about Maria, all of them agreed that she is someone who doesn't adhere to common practices or traditions of the Catholic Church. Thus came the phrase,"How do you solve a problem like Maria?"

In our passage today, the Pharisees were also singing a similar tune: "How do you solve a problem like Jesus and His disciples?" What do we do with people who do not adhere to traditions of the Church?

Tradition is a beautiful thing. It helps ground us in our history. In a way, it is how the ancient continue to teach us today, by handing down ideas and thoughts and habits through our traditions.

Tradition’s roots are to be honored and adored and truly respected. But what happens when we begin to lose sight of these roots and begin to focus on tradition itself? What happens when we begin to honor the tradition rather than what tradition points to?

In our lesson today, the Pharisees confront Jesus for not holding to ceremonial washing traditions. These traditions probably come from important reasons; ways to keep hands, food, and dishes clean so that diseases do not get passed on.

Or perhaps the traditions help instill the washer with thankfulness toward God who has provided the meal, the dishes, the time, and everything to put a meal together.

The tradition comes from holy roots, roots designed to teach us about ourselves, God, and how to care for one another’s health. However, the Pharisees have focused so much upon the tradition that they have forgotten the reason. Tradition existed for its own sake, to be done because it was “supposed” to be done, not because it pointed beyond itself.

Jesus points out that cleanliness does not come from activity alone but from a place much deeper. What does it mean that someone follows all the rules of hand-washing but does not care for the other? (see the list from Mark 7:21-22) Cleanliness is not what we do, but is a way of life. Tradition is not the point. It is what the tradition points to, that is the point.

In Mark's gospel the Pharisees are arguing with Jesus about why the disciples do not wash their hands, as custom commands, before eating. Jesus responds by saying, "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors 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." And then he calls the crowd again and says 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."

Jesus conveyed a message: get to the heart of the message in the scriptures - practice the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law. And when we first read through the gospel lesson, it seems obvious why Jesus should be chastising them, obvious that he is right and that they are at fault. But it's too easy for us to scapegoat the Pharisees when we read this story, too easy to shake our heads at their ways, all the while patting ourselves smugly on the backs for being and doing better than them, at least. But are we being fair to the Pharisees? Are we being honest with ourselves?

After all, what exactly is it that they are doing that is so wrong, so different from what we would do, anyway?

If we look at the actions of the Pharisees it is easy to see that they might conceive themselves as acting rightly as doers of the word. The Pharisees know the commandments of the scriptures, and follow them meticulously. They know the cleanliness codes, and they know that eating with out cleansing is ritually impure according to holy law.

By following the law, aren't they being doers of the word as James urges? However, doing involves more than blind obedience, it takes more than crossing t's and dotting I's in good behavior - it something to the spirit of the law that gives it life, not just the letter of the law only.

Jesus quotes Isaiah by saying "this people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Though the Pharisees held fast to the commandments, they managed to do so while at the same time missing the entire point of the very rules they followed.

Cleanliness, Jesus insisted, wasn't about literal cleanliness, but about the purity of our inner beings. The passage is encouraging us to be doers of the word, encourages us to take a look in the mirror, and remember who we are and what we see there. Purity of religion before God always starts with concern for others, he reminds us, care of the orphan and the widow, those most vulnerable in society. Our doing must be reconciled to those who are most oppressed - then we will be clean and undefiled from inside out.

The Pharisees missed the point even as they diligently followed the commandments of God. But still, with their faults, we can't yet let ourselves of the hook, and put all the blame on them. We are still to be held accountable. The passage asks us to be doers, not simply hearers of the word. He demands that we look in the mirror, and see ourselves clearly, and see what our weaknesses and strengths are clearly, and see what God calls us to do, clearly. Jesus asks us to be pure, clean, from the inside out, and not worry as much about the outside in. How do we hold up to their demands? What do you see when you look into the mirror?

Jesus calls us to be faithful from the inside out instead of outside in. Too often, we let our motivation for our actions come from the wrong sources. We, too, like the Pharisees, get caught up in particular practices that we think will guarantee our holiness, our righteousness, our correctness. And we, too, are concerned about who is clean, who is pure enough to be part of us, part of our fellowship, part of our church, part of our lives.

Over time for Christians this has meant banning dancing and card-playing, avoiding going to the movies, sticking to only a certain translation of the Bible. It has meant deciding that the church could exclude people because they were unclean, not fitting in because of something external about them, because of skin color, income level, country of origin, and many other reasons.

We are indeed called to be clean and pure, but it is what comes out of us that makes us clean, not what we put in. It is how we treat others, how we live our lives, how we act, what we do, that makes us pure. We are called not only to honor God with words, with our lips, but with our hearts and our souls. So let us be clean, from our insides out. Amen.