Call to Worship - Grace Hearers
Jesus was once approached by a scribe who asked Him which was the greatest commandment. Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
There are two kinds of people in covenant with God who hear these words. Law-readers, most likely like this scribe, stumble over the gospel. They hear the words of God’s great declaration of freedom when Israel was brought out of Egypt, but it falls away and all they really hear are the commandments, the do’s and the don’ts. The self-righteous heart looks at the Scripture and only see this – things for self to do in order to place God in debt to that self. The words of the gospel are foolishness to them.
Then there are the grace-readers – who see it all as grace and delight in God’s kindness – they see this everywhere, in every verse. The Law of the Lord is to them – perfect, converting the soul. The Words of the Ten Commandments are wrapped up for them in the great preamble – “I am the Lord your God, who brought You out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” This is a recital of God’s gracious salvation. This converted heart looks to scripture and sees God’s goodness, kindness and grace everywhere.
And this describes generally the two types of people gathered here this morning. There are those who see their church-attendance as a duty, along with the rest of their law-keeping the rest of the week. They are generally bored here and angry people out there – angry at their parents, angry at their employer, angry at their neighbor, angry at their God. They are seeking self-righteousness and they see everyone around them falling short.
But when the grace of God gets a hold of you, everything changes. Life blooms into full color, and there is kindness and goodness, from God, everywhere one looks. Coming here to offer ourselves as living sacrifices is in fact no sacrifice because all they see is that God is transforming us, feeding us, equipping us, promising to us, and delighting over us – even though we are sinners.
Do not come to worship God in a self-righteous, quite proper, and bored, stiff way. He hates it and you will choke on the Bread of life. Come instead abandoning yourself from yourself, your self-righteousness, your so-called goodness, your list of “I’m better than she-is”’s and instead bow down to Grace, Grace Incarnate – and a Feast that is for Life eternal. Come and worship the God who has set you free!