<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 7;1-5<div><br></div><div><b>1. &nbsp;Now when the Pharisees gathered together to him, with some of the scribes, who had come to Jerusalem,</b></div><div><b>2. &nbsp;they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed.</b></div><div><b>3. &nbsp;(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders;</b></div><div><b>4. &nbsp;and when they came from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.)</b></div><div><b>5. &nbsp;And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with unwashed hands defiled!”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Every Thanksgiving, it is a tradition that mashed&nbsp;‘rutabaga’ be served. &nbsp;It isn’t Thanksgiving in our family if no rutabaga is served. &nbsp;Why? I haven’t a clue. &nbsp;Rutabagas&nbsp;are a sort of very hard, bitter turnip, eaten in Scandinavia, especially Sweden. &nbsp;Kris’ ancestry is in part Nordic, so I suppose eating it somehow was a thankful&nbsp;remembrance of their heritage, or perhaps a food similar to the Jews eating bitter herbs at Passover, (to remind them of how bad slavery in Egypt was).</div><div><br></div><div>(It takes a real man with a heavy knife or even a meat cleaver to chop one up, then it is cooked in a pressure cooker, in order to soften them enough to mash them.). Guess whose job that it…</div><div><br></div><div>But, I am told other families enjoy Thanksgiving without Rutabaga! &nbsp;(Un-thinkable, I know, but they do.)</div><div>And, Thanksgiving actually still happens,&nbsp;the giving of ‘thanks,’&nbsp;together as family&nbsp;at Rutabaga-less tables!</div><div><br></div><div>The point to all this is rather obvious, human traditions do&nbsp;not&nbsp;make receiving God’s blessings effectual. &nbsp;Traditions&nbsp;are not sinful&nbsp;in themselves. &nbsp;They can add additional&nbsp;appreciation and&nbsp;meaning.</div><div>But, the gifts of God do not require human additions in order for God’s gifts to be received.</div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Things like crossing yourself, genuflecting, folding your hands, bowing your head…..These things are not what cause the blessed gifts of God to come to us. &nbsp;God does not need our help in order to bless us. &nbsp;His Word, the&nbsp;Holy Spirit, and the Sacraments work by themselves without man’s additions.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Careful observance of human traditions does not add anything to the Word and work of God. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span>Traditions are fine so long as we do not teach others they must respect them too. &nbsp;If we do, we are guilty of&nbsp;putting ourselves in the place of God, creating new commandments for others to respect and observe. &nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Rutabagas are fine on our table at Thanksgiving, but they are not required on yours, be thankful!</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer; &nbsp;Dear Father in Heaven, bless us to rightly divide the Word of Truth, AND recognize our traditions are not Commandments to impose on others. &nbsp;Bless us to use them as teaching aids, but not elevate them to obligations, or judge others who do not follow them.&nbsp; In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</span></div><div><br></div><div><b><br></b><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 7;1-5
1.  Now when the Pharisees gathered together to him, with some of the scribes, who had come to Jerusalem,2.  they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed.3.  (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders;4.  and when they came from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.)5.  And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with unwashed hands defiled!”
Every Thanksgiving, it is a tradition that mashed ‘rutabaga’ be served.  It isn’t Thanksgiving in our family if no rutabaga is served.  Why? I haven’t a clue.  Rutabagas are a sort of very hard, bitter turnip, eaten in Scandinavia, especially Sweden.  Kris’ ancestry is in part Nordic, so I suppose eating it somehow was a thankful remembrance of their heritage, or perhaps a food similar to the Jews eating bitter herbs at Passover, (to remind them of how bad slavery in Egypt was).
(It takes a real man with a heavy knife or even a meat cleaver to chop one up, then it is cooked in a pressure cooker, in order to soften them enough to mash them.). Guess whose job that it…
But, I am told other families enjoy Thanksgiving without Rutabaga!  (Un-thinkable, I know, but they do.)And, Thanksgiving actually still happens, the giving of ‘thanks,’ together as family at Rutabaga-less tables!
The point to all this is rather obvious, human traditions do not make receiving God’s blessings effectual.  Traditions are not sinful in themselves.  They can add additional appreciation and meaning.But, the gifts of God do not require human additions in order for God’s gifts to be received.
Things like crossing yourself, genuflecting, folding your hands, bowing your head…..These things are not what cause the blessed gifts of God to come to us.  God does not need our help in order to bless us.  His Word, the Holy Spirit, and the Sacraments work by themselves without man’s additions.
Careful observance of human traditions does not add anything to the Word and work of God.  Traditions are fine so long as we do not teach others they must respect them too.  If we do, we are guilty of putting ourselves in the place of God, creating new commandments for others to respect and observe.  
Rutabagas are fine on our table at Thanksgiving, but they are not required on yours, be thankful!
Prayer;  Dear Father in Heaven, bless us to rightly divide the Word of Truth, AND recognize our traditions are not Commandments to impose on others.  Bless us to use them as teaching aids, but not elevate them to obligations, or judge others who do not follow them.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”



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