The sermon text for this week is Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 AND Philippians 3:4b-14. AND, it is World Communion Sunday.
Now, on the outset, these seem like three very random and unconnected things. But, I think that there just might be some connections that can be made. When we talk about World Communion Sunday, or the World Day of Prayer, or other celebrations like that, we often talk about unity. We long to be able to put an end to fighting, and find avenues for peace. And, as I was thinking about this, I realized that the 10 Commandments are part of what provides us some unity. Unity happens when you find some common goal or belief to unite different people. And, it is the word of God that can bring us that common goal and belief. Regardless of our native country or our native language, all who bear the name Christian believe that the Bible is God's word. We all believe that God is holy and should be worshiped. We all believe that we are charged to love our neighbors.
Now, as you know, there is a great deal of controversy about how to interpret and apply these beliefs. There are some who long to hold tightly to the exact requirements and specifications, and there are others who take a broader interpretation. We can get easily lost in the debates about how to interpret and apply these sacred commands.
And this is where the Philippians passage proves helpful. Paul tells the people of Philippi that he followed the law flawlessly, and yet would throw away all of this perfection if it meant that he could know Christ better. "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Phil 3:8)
The law brings some degree of unity. But it is only when we participate in the grace and love given to us by God the Father, through Christ the Son, in the Holy Spirit that we can truly find the peace and unity for which we are so desperately longing.
Questions to ponder:
Am I right, does the law bring unity? Or does it only bring more division as we interpret it?
What purpose did the 10 Commandments originally serve? How did they redefine the way the community of Israel functioned?
How does Jesus re-define the 10 Commandments for us?
How should we live in light of Paul's bold statements from Philippians?
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5 comments:
10 commandments; huge topic. My most enlightening personal revelation about the 10 commandments was when I learned that they were issued out of pure love and intended for our protection and as a pragmatic structure to attain an abundant life. Just as a loving parent giving a child restrictions to protect. The old "I've been there, this is for your own good" direction.
I find it fascinating that the first 5 are about our relationship to God, and the second 5 are about our relationship to others. Love God, Love others; the greatest and the second great commandments as explained by Jesus. that covers it all.
Pastor Becky, I really like the way you intend to bring World Communion Sunday into the “fellowship of the law” theme; I’m looking forward to your sermon. The CROP Walk was a good reminder that we need to implement the law instead of following it. Again, I find the scripture discussion points thought provoking. Thank you!
Unity in the Law?
The division in the Church over our gay brothers and sisters is just one example where we have allowed legal interpretation to become divisive within the community of Christ. It seems to be our natural tendency to be lawyers; either looking for loop holes or seeing the world only in black and white. The lengthy rabbinical collection of interpretations of the law (the Mishnah) shows a long tradition of this.
Are all of the laws equal? To Jesus the greatest law was to love God with everything we are and have; the second greatest is to do the same with our neighbor (Matthew 22:34-40).
Is life really monochromatic? Our United Methodist Social Principles do a good job of pointing out that there a rainbow of hues involved in interpreting the law. This makes it harder to become so self satisfied; certain in the perfection of our personal translation. Once we are humble, we are less prone to judgment, and more prone to love and mercy.
It is easy to become complacent and over-dependent upon the law to avoid having to think and discern. God wants partners, not robots.
Reverse psychology suggests that something becomes more attractive if it is forbidden. Remember the fruit of the tree of knowledge in the garden? Paul describes me well in Romans 7:14-25.
Peter, Paul and James did not allow their differing interpretations of the law to divide the Church at its very birth. Why do we do so today?
Purpose of the Law?
It was both the terms of the covenantal relationship between God and His people, and provided rules for a new community forced to live together in unnatural circumstances where survival of the fittest individuals would have killed the people as a whole. It also served to differentiate Israel from the rest of the world (circumcision, dietary practices, etc.) in such a way that it could go out into the world to spread the Word without being swallowed up by the world; the exiled tribes in Babylon survived, while the tribes exiled to Assyria vanished!
The law was to help God’s people while they were still subject to the flesh, but once we became subject to the Spirit it lost its primacy. The law becomes for us a tool, and Jesus becomes the Way. Paul reflected this wonderfully when he talked about the “circumcision of the heart”. He also taught us that the law helps us recognize sin in ourselves. John Wesley added that we must first recognize that we are each sinners before we can be saved; we must unclench our hands grasping works and the law to become able to accept God’s grace with open hands. How can I be forgiven if I don’t admit and truly realize that I have something to be forgiven for?
Jesus’ Interpretation
General themes of the New Testament are that intent matters, and that the spirit of the law supersedes the letter of the law. Those of us with white hair remember the furor over Jimmy Carter’s comment that he was a sinner because he lusted in his heart. But this is straight out of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29); why the ruckus? Did we feel Jimmy was judging us? Did his use of Jesus’ interpretation of the law, challenge our dependence on the Old Testament version? Were we the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22)? Were we upset to be reminded that there are grey areas in our lives that we must confront?
Phillipians
I need to constantly remind myself and others that we are saved by faith in God’s grace, and not faith in our own works. I deserve nothing, but have been given everything. I will naturally follow the law once I believe I have been saved; I shouldn’t follow the law to be saved. I should follow the law as Jesus would, not as a Pharisee would. I should brag about my weaknesses, not my works or knowledge.
"We have here the laws of the second table, as they are commonly called; the six last commandments which concern our duty to ourselves, and one another, and are a comment upon the second great commandment, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. As religion towards God is, an essential branch of universal righteousness, so righteousness towards men is an essential branch of true religion: godliness and honesty must go together."
John Wesley
"Sometimes God leaves people with certain unconquerable imperfections in order to deprive them of all inward self-satisfaction … Self-reliance, even in the matter of curing one's faults, fosters a hidden conceit."
Francois Fenelon
Last Sunday's service was: THE BEST SERVICE EVER! Everything clicked together well as an organic whole. Well done:)
Excellent use of slides before the service, and during the hymns and the message. They were not only informational, but also helped further the message by targeting both sides of our brains at the same time. It's also a good way to cut down on announcements during the service.
Singing hymns in different languages was a major gamble in a church with very strong (and often widely differing)opinions on music. The gamble paid off big time. Singing the chorus of one of the hymns in three seperate languages at the same time (Tower of Babel?)was VERY effective, enlightening and moving. Thank you Jan for leading us through the French pronunciation! Junior High French was long, long ago...Thanx Pastor Becky for being brave and trying something new.
The sermon met your typical high standard: fun, educational and moving. I liked the use of Mark's quote from the blog. I particularly liked the slides of your mission trip to India; great witness!
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