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Religion - One Way to Get in God's Way

Sermon
Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
Zechariah 7:1-10
Paul W. F. Harms
SEEK GOOD, NOT EVIL
that you may live
Another clash between religion and the worship of God. To put it another way, "The Bible is anti-religious because it is pro-God." That statement strikes at some of our most cherished traditions. Isn't religion automatically pro-God? Both the Old and New Testaments say, "Not automatically so." The Bible takes issue not only with the pagan religions, it takes issue with the religion of God's people when their religion puts God in second place. Christ said of some of the religious leaders who worshiped regularly in the temple, "They forclose mortgages on widow's houses. Their cover-up?
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 While the Prodigal Son was still far off, his father saw him, ran to him, put his arms around him and kissed him. In our worship today, let us turn to God so that he may run to us, put his arms around and kiss us.

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 Jesus, for the times when we run away from you,

Lord, have mercy.

 Jesus, for the times when we have wasted our inheritance on dissolute living,

Christ, have mercy.

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