Traditions and the commands of God.

Reading this morning in Mark 7; Jesus is in the midst of a coversation w/ the Pharisees about why the disciples don't follow the rules -- they don't do the ceremonial hand washing that is prescribed in the law before they eat. They are all in a twitter about it, and Jesus drops this on them:

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men. (Mk 7:8)

In our circle of friends, we've often debated the merits of traditions, liturgies, wrote prayers, and the role they have played in our lives faith-wise. Seems to go in cycles; while some prefer not to have liturgy and the same prayers spoken each week as it harkens back to the days of one worship service and style, we see some of our younger folks attracted to the ancient feel and connection some of the traditional practices carry with them. Interesting to ponder...I think the thing that becomes dangerous is when we make the traditions the reason we come to church, rather than the connection with God. When 'that's how we've always done it' replaces WHY we do what we do, we run the risk of missing the point. Traditions become comfortable, known, and for some offer a sense of security in a world that seems to change daily. However, those traditions can become our gods when we do them just because, rather than looking through the words we are saying and letting the why sink into our hearts.