“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.’ How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.” Matthew 23:13-26
Justice Mercy and Faith
Dear God of our loving ancestors
who were taught from childhood
the ways of justice, mercy and love
we are full of woes for we have forgotten.
We have forgotten to listen to elders
we are too busy to teach our children
we have ignored the abuses of our leaders
our woes come from putting ourselves first.
Teach us today how to live your justice
show us how to be full of mercy
draw near and teach us again to walk
for we have forgotten how to serve.
Turn our hearts from selfishness to service
tune our voices to speak mercy and love
make us like our teachers and our elders
so that our service might change the world.
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