Roots:
Our Wesleyan Heritage: Personal and Social Holiness
I have had the opportunity to visit both Jerusalem and Belize. In Jerusalem, I sat on the Teaching Steps which lead up to the temple mount. It is on the teaching steps that Jesus would sit and teach when he was at the temple. It was also one of the entrances to the temple court. Before you entered the temple court, you would ritually cleanse in one of the baths and then ascend the steps. The teaching steps were purposefully made inconsistent. Some steps were deeper, some shallower, some wider, some narrower. They were designed this way so those ascending the steps had to assume a humble posture. Your head was down so you could see the steps.
In Belize, I visited Mayan ruins. The steps on their pyramid to the king’s palace and holy place were all very deep. You truly had to crawl on hands and knees unless you were 6’ tall. Again, this was to force those approaching the throne to assume a humble posture.
Micah 6 asks the question with what should I approach the Lord? There are lots of outward signs the church has adopted in her 2000-year history. Dress codes and rituals, lowered voices all are among some of the outward signs of “holiness.”
Micah tells us that God is looking for more than outward rituals and postures. It is the posture of our hearts towards God and towards our neighbor that is the concern.
I have heard it said recently of the church in the USA—that many Christians have a mouth full of Scripture and a heart full of hate. How we dress for church, attend church, quote scripture does not mean anything if our heart, our words, our actions do not match the Fruit of the Spirit.
This Sunday we will look at the connection of personal holiness (our personal faith) and social holiness (our attitude and actions towards others) as we look at Micah 6:6-8. Join us as we connect with the Wesleyan concept of heart and hand, personal and social holiness.
Blessings,
Pastor Leanne
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JUMC Outreach Mission of the Month for July 2026 is
Shelters of Saratoga
Did you know that SOS have been changing lives for over 30 years? It started in 1991 with an eight bed emergency shelter for men. Last year a 31 bed shelter was renovated and expanded along with a nine unit supportive housing development- both right in Saratoga!
SOS is a Saratoga County based human services agency that provides food, shelter and housing services to people who are homeless or facing homelessness. All of these needs are ongoing year round, not just in the winter months! Please consider a generous donation to this very worthy mission.
Please support our Mission of the Month by donating on the JUMC website or sending a check to the Church Office. Checks payable to JUMC.
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