Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church Blog

My father used to make his own beer. Went I went grocery shopping with my mother more often than not we went to an A&P because they were about the only store that carried the big cans of beer malt he used.  I was always fascinated by the process. As I remember it was little more than filling some large crockery barrels with water and dumping in the cans of malt.  Then the magic came by adding yeast and covering.  He threw in some sugar before bottling but I knew it was the yeast that really made it all happen. I know now that what happened is that the yeast went to work on eating up the sugar and producing alcohol and carbon dioxide.  No yeast and you had sweet smelling, nasty tasting water. With yeast you eventually had nasty tasting beer.

Jesus warned his disciples about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  They really didn’t know what he was talking about.  He explained a bit and it became clear. Well, sort of.  I think they understood that there was something dangerous that you could pick up from people like the Pharisees that would grow and spread until you were changed from one thing into another.  They surely understood that what you were changed into was not good and that the change could start out very small.  As we read Matthew and Luke and Mark there seems to be some difference of opinion as to just what the yeast was.  Maybe there are several strains of dangerous yeast?  We’ll think about that some on Sunday morning.  You may not know any card carrying Pharisees or Saducees, but the yeast of these is still very much with us. And still dangerous.

Sunday evening the service is not at the church building but the church will be gathering at the Agate farm.  We’ll have food and fellowship (actually not the same thing), hear reports from some of our short term missionaries, sing praises to our God and Savior and hear his Word.  Last time in this location as the Agates are doing Green Acres in reverse and moving to Monroeville.

Etta James (and a lot of other people) sang “Something Got a Hold On Me”.  The something she sang about was love. If it is Jesus’ love it doesn’t let you go. More powerful and life changing than the yeast of the Pharisees. Worship helps us know it and grow in our response.  See you this week?

Jack