Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

I grew up in a small town that was dominated by American born-again, revival religion. It was a small town, but many were concerned with the questions of who is right and who is wrong, who is "in" and who is "Aout."

We all went to the same post office. We all banked at the same bank. We all went to the same schools. Still we spent a lot of time deciding who was "in" and who was "out." My best friend's family were in the Church of Christ tradition. Oops! I should not have said tradition because that would lead someone to think that there are other traditions. My friend's Church taught that they were the only true Church. Everyone else was going to hell.

Ben and I would often try out the arguments of our respective Churches. It was funny to me that I could go to his house and read Mad Magazine, drive a car on country roads at age 9 (stick shift!), eat meals at their table only to have my friend tell me that I was going to hell! In other words I was "out" and he was "in." As we got older, of course, we too realized the ridiculous nature of our talks and the meaninglessness of such talk.

But every religious group tries to use their own customs and ways of being religious as a test case for who was "in" and who was "out." Those belonging to the Assembly of God insisted that we have the gift of speaking in tongues. The Roman Catholics genuflected at the altar, made the sign of the cross, and received communion every Sunday. We complained about the Methodists because they were far too open-minded and allowed more diversity among their ranks.

Our Baptist group insisted that one know whether one was saved. The only way to know that was if one was truly born again. A person gave their heart to Jesus and experienced a profound emotional experience. Such an experience was to result in joining the Church and talking just like all the others in the congregation. Occasionally a recalcitrant sinner in the community would decide to be saved, but they seldom could persevere in the assimilation into the congregation. There was just too much to learn, or perhaps they found it difficult to refrain from drinking alcohol. Soon they found themselves as outsiders.

The Lutherans lived and farmed in an agricultural community just outside our town. The Baptists were sure that the Lutherans were "out" because it was well-known that Lutherans made no effort to refrain from drinking beer. It did not matter if they were clear on their theology of justification by grace through faith. They all had funny German names. They drank beer, and they had wine at communion.

Now the point of all these vignettes is that many of us grew up to realize that there were many differences in our religious emphases. Ultimately my friend Ben decided that I was not going to hell. I began to see that some points made by the Church of Christ had some validity. And though I never received the gift of speaking in tongues, I did accept this act as valid within the Pentecostal community. I even dated the Methodist pastor's daughter.

Dear congregation, the Bible too spends a lot of effort at trying to tell us who is "in" and who is "out." But it also is very critical of us when we put ourselves in the place of God. We then assume that we are in a position to judge and even to condemn those who are not in our group. The Bible distinguishes between the outer habits of our personal piety and the inner conviction of the spirit of faith in the God who has given us the Law and the Gospel as expression of his demand and promise of life.
Take just a moment to hear from the psalmist, from the Epistle of James and from Jesus himself as to who is "in" and who is "out." These readings are powerful witnesses to the purpose of God. One thing that we should note is that there is little difference in the thrust of the Old Testament readings and the New Testament readings. All four are very much about life. Life is what it is all about.

So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live. (Deuteronomy 4:1)

The psalm also admonishes the faithful to live in such a way that life is enabled and affirmed by our actions.

O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart; who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors; in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor those who fear the Lord; who stand by their oath even to their hurt; who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be moved.

Listening to the psalm helps us to understand that we need guidelines for living. When we realize that we have transgressed these guidelines, we should know that they are there for life. God is not out to kill. God wills only that we turn to God and live.

Listen to the writer of James who makes a distinction between outward conformity to the law and inward obedience to its intention.

But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act they will be blessed in their doing. If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (James 1:25-27)

And finally let us understand Jesus' action in the gospel today. The opponents of Jesus are concerned with who is "in" and who is "out." When they observe the disciples eating with hands that have not been ceremonially washed, they are indignant and ask Jesus why he allows the disciples to eat with defiled hands. One commentator translates the word here for "defiled" as "profane." That is a very instructive choice of words because the word profane literally connotes being outside the holy place, outside the Temple.

We think of the psalmist who asks, "O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?" In other words who can enter the temple. Jesus' answer is like that of the psalmist. It is not the superficial actions of the ceremonial law that qualify us before God. It is our obedience to the God of life made manifest in our love of neighbor that sets us apart as the people of God.

We do not condemn those who worship without the Lutheran Book of Worship or Evangelical Lutheran Worship. We do not look down on those who have a different moral code than us. What we do is look for signs of God at work among us so that we may be free from human traditions and be true to the mercy of God who has revealed the divine will in the life and action of Jesus of Nazareth. Would that we could be more like Jesus who lived in absolute trust in God, his heavenly Father. It is Jesus who taught us what is good.

So let us cease judging one another and take responsibility for our own actions measuring them by the standard which Christ himself offers us in today's reading. Let us trust in God who has made clear to us who is "in" and who is "out", and who is faithful in all things and who will not ignore our efforts to do God's will.

And the peace of God which passes all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.