OK. Now this is in part, the ritualistic traditions I was talking about.
Did Helen, a woman with a heart towards god and loving others, violate God
by bidding a blessing upon fellow believers as a believer with these
words? Are these words then seen as a holy copyright , that the words
themselves can only be uttered by a priest these days? Or are they honored
by God and glorify God in bidding a peaceful blessing upon fellow
believers? Would I then, in the same respect be violating the same
principle if when witnessing a sneeze and say "Oh bless you"? I am a firm
believer that examples and etc. of the Old Testament are for our learning
and to utilize what God would have us in glorifying him and living as a
godly person, but we aren't slaughtering animals anymore we ain't ringing
heads off birds because we did such and such, we aren't laying our sins
upon a goat and setting him free to be the appropriation for those
sins. What of the Old Testament rituals are actually pertinent today.
Many times we perform them, to honor God, to remember what he did for us,
and that is why they did some of the festivals we talked of yesterday. But
their wasn't any sparks coming from the preachers hands at the last
Lutheran service I attended a few weeks back when he administered that
blessing upon us. How many of us find ourselves working laboriously on the
Sabbath? I'm not suggesting because we fail to honor a certain ritual that
we toss them all out, I'm saying that what good is a ritual if the heart is
not behind it, or if it is done out of strictly ritual yet perhaps not
required anymore. Hebrews says that in days past God spoke to us through
his prophets and now through his son Jesus Christ, is it not
then dishonoring and disrespecting him by continuing to try to communicate
through prophets, or anyone else for that matter and not through Jesus ,
through the Word? In fact to God directly. Does he not do same even now to
us in return? Similar is this issue of blessing? Or are we in fact in
terrible trouble out of ignorance of the power and usage of such a blessing
upon others by our unpriestly selfs? I understand what and why they did
back then, but what are we to do now then? Are we in fact to carry these
traditions and rituals out? Are we to let them for those wearing kingly
robes? Are we to not do them anymore by anyone? When I listened to the
pastor at the Lutheran church over Christmas service, and he gave that
blessing, it was not a meaningless blessing. I felt his sincerity, and I
truly felt blessed in his sincerity and care for his flock he has been
charged as overseer, and myself as guest. I'd feel the same if anyone else
was just as sincere and said that to us walking out their door. I stood
once in a parking lot after dining with a couple who were attending a Bible
college. The lady proceeded to sing a blessing upon us. Well first it was
announced she would do this, and her companion at the time seemed a bit
embarrassed as he said... "She always does this for people". She did her
thing and we left. I felt a bit bad for the girl as I felt she embarrassed
her friend and herself, well she wasn't aware we felt embarrassed for her
actually. We didn't feel that way because of the words or even the gesture,
but it was clearly a vehicle for a self appointed signature in departing
from a night of fellowship or something. It appeared as though she was
trying to make herself known about the land that singing a blessing was her
exit from the presence of others. And I have to, Kathy, type it out because
I'm thinking it lol. There was a MASH episode in which an disliked Colonel
Flag, who always desired to be a mysterious CIA agent, but yet he was
extremely transparent and obnoxious, decided that his signature was to have
everyone close their eyes and he'd exit unseen. That was his mark to leave
a job and not be seen. They closed their eyes and he jumped out a window,
fell out, and broke his leg. This is what I felt this person did singing in
the parking lot. It was a false reason for doing what she did. I tried to
not think this way for I was condemning myself for judging but it was a
discernment of a truthful heart which came from my heart and not my head. I
am not anti-ritualistic or tradition, I think they are great if meaning
full, and if God desires them we ought then readjust our hearts to return
them to our way of life. But if not, then not.
Brad
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