A Sacrifice of Praise and Sacrifices that Pleases 

Jeremiah 2:4-13 & Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

This week our lectionary readings are teaching us that there is a corollary between what we know and how we live. In theology this would be orthodoxy and orthopraxy; right doctrine informs right conduct. In this sermon we will see how that through Jesus, we give to God a sacrifice of praise, which involves what we know, and the sacrifices that pleases God, which involves what we do. These two things have been neglected by the people to whom Jeremiah is speaking. The sacrifice of praise and the sacrifices that please God are things that make us thrive as believers, keeps our faith strong, and works into us the image of Christ.

 Jesus knew the Father’s will and always did what pleases him. The result of Jesus’ orthodoxy, (what he knew) and orthopraxy, (what he did with what he knew) brought him to the cross where he does us the highest good of bringing us to the Father. Now, through Jesus, when what I know about God informs what I do with and for others, the result is a cultivation of praise and generosity that brings pleasure to God.  This good news of the gospel is the fruit of lips that confess his name, the source of our praise and the reason why our justification should lead us to act justly.