Systems can be very helpful -- every time I fly on a plane, I give thanks that the pilots have sophisticated systems that make the safety checks to ensure the plane is ready to fly. Whenever I buy food at the grocery, I'm thankful for all the systems that are in place to keep food safe between the origin and my cart. Systems are in place to keep us safe and to make things work better.
But we can't fall in love with the system and forget what is behind it. I think that's what the Pharisees did -- they saw the rules and rituals of the law and got so caught up in them that when Jesus came, their hearts were so woodenly attached to the law that they couldn't fall in love with the God who stood behind it, who created it so that all of life would be dedicated to God. They'd long since forgotten what stood behind the system, and they missed Jesus because of it.
Our habits and rituals ought to lead us to a position of awe for who God is and how God is at work. The point is to draw us closer to God -- not to simply check something off a list. May we pray for God's Spirit to inspire us, to teach us to love, to open our eyes and hearts to the ways God is at work in the world.
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