First thing one morning more than 3 decades ago my young daughter wants cake, left over from a now long forgotten event the previous day, for her breakfast. Her request is so naïve, so absurd, that my answer is obvious. As a responsible and caring parent, I will not deny her the cake, but I will require her to eat a respectable breakfast before she can have it. The words are out of my mouth before I realize their inanity: “You cannot have cake until you at least finish a cinnamon roll.”
“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks” (Romans 14:5-6).
Different people—from cultures to churches—have different customs. Older Texans would never enter a sanctuary wearing a hat; Israeli Jews would never enter a holy place without one. Some Western Christians will only take communion with unleavened bread; some Eastern ones only with leavened. Some congregations deem sitting during Scripture’s reading disrespectful; others consider the requirement to stand for each reading a pretentious or perfunctory substitute for genuine piety.
“But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10-12).
When disciples wonder why Jesus would speak with the woman at the well, he responds that he is eating the meal God prepared for him. Whether what enters the mouth is cinnamon roll or cake slice—whether music, ritual, liturgy, schedule, or title is one style or another, one form or another—matters nothing next to whether what leaves the mouth is a confession that Jesus is Lord; whether what comes out in life is obedience to him, love and service to others.
To a week outshouting our customs with lives confessing Jesus in love and service.