From the Pastor |
Exodus 20: 1-17
When my daughter was a teenager, she would get upset with me because we had rules in our house. I expected to ALWAYS know where she was… she had a curfew… she needed permission to go places with her friends… and compared to some of her friends… I was pretty strict. To make matters worse… the few times she tried to rebel and skirt AROUND those rules… she was busted pretty easily. She hated it. There were times that she resented the fact that some of her friends didn’t have to suffer the same restrictions she did. They did not have a curfew… they could go wherever they pleased… do what they wanted. It wasn’t fair… or so I was told quite a few times. Now, don’t get me wrong. She and I had a good relationship… but sometimes she chafed at all the rules. One thing she struggled to understand is why one of her friends… on with a LOT of freedom… seemed to like to spend so much time at our house where the rules were enforced for everyone. You came to my house… you followed my rules. That’s how it was. Then one day she came home and actually hugged me and thanked me. “For what?” I asked… “For caring!” she replied. Apparently, she and this same friend had been talking. When she complained about all my ridiculous rules… her friend looked at her and said… “Well, at least your parents give a damn… At least you know they care about you.” Now, her friend’s parents were good people. I have no doubt they loved their daughter… but at the time… she actually envied MY daughter. She was able to see the rules we had at our house for what they were… acts of love… She understood that the rules we set in place were there because we loved and cared for our child. That is exactly what the commandments… the laws of God are all about. This morning we heard the section of Exodus that we refer to as the Ten Commandments. These were the first of the laws given by God to the people of Israel after God delivered them from their lives of slavery in Egypt. These Laws were not a means of salvation… They had already been saved. Their salvation happened long before their good works or their following of God’s commands. These laws, and the many that followed, were meant to govern the people and to distinguish them as a people set apart from other nations… different… righteous; making them God’s Chosen People. These commandments were given to Moses to share with the people as part of the covenant God offered to them. It was a covenant that the people were free to accept or reject. If they followed God’s commands, then God promised to be their God… to watch over and protect them and make them into a great nation. The choice was theirs. So, “When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” Exodus 24:3 God’s laws were meant for the good of all the people… to teach them to not only love their God but to properly love and care for themselves, one another and others as well. These laws were meant to create a people with a deepened moral sensibility that rose out of their religious vitality. A people who placed a higher value on all human life than on material things… Unfortunately, like my own child… the people occasionally rebelled against the “rules” and got into trouble… And somewhere along the line… the laws lost the basis of love they were created in. They became oppressive and sometimes hurtful. For example the law about the Sabbath… The Sabbath… meant to be a day of rest, worship and rejoicing, but became a day of discipline and strict rules… in fact… by the time of Jesus there were over 1000 things a person was NOT allowed to on the Sabbath, including helping someone else if it violated ANY of the rules. But the truth remains… The laws of the Lord were a sign of the love God had for the people of Israel. So God sent Jesus into the world to a.) put the basis of love back into the laws and b.) to create a new covenant… opening it to all who would have faith and believe in him. Jesus put heart back into the Laws of God. He boldly challenged the religious leaders concerning their interpretation of those laws. When we look back to our example of the Sabbath… the Pharisees believed that offering medical attention to someone was prohibited on the Sabbath unless it was truly a matter of life and death. However, Jesus healed people on the Sabbath… a man with a shriveled hand… a woman crippled for 18 years are just two examples… And since healings had not involved a life-and-death situation, they accused Jesus had violated the Sabbath. But Jesus understood the true purpose of the Sabbath… he understood the heart of the law… and it angered him to see that they placed their own traditions and interpretations over that purpose. Jesus came to show that love is the most important thing and is the basis of EVERY law God has given… every law comes down to love… loving God… loving and caring for self and neighbor… Jesus himself even added another commandment to the list… “A new commandment I give to you -- that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples - if you have love for one another.” [John 13:34-35] If following the law does not reflect the love of God… something is wrong. The laws were given because of God’s love for us… love does not come from the law… however, this does not negate the laws. Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished..” [Matthew 5:17-18] The laws of God are still in effect… anyone who enters into the new covenant that God has been offered through Christ… must realize that the laws of God have NOT been discarded, but they must always be interpreted through the eyes of love In fact, the Law of Love is far more demanding than the written letter of the law… The Ten Commandments outlaw adultery… Jesus outlaws even the thought of adultery. The Ten Commandments outlaw murder… Jesus forbids even the hateful intent. Jesus even goes so far as to demand that we love our enemy. The law was given to the people of Israel out of God’s great love. It has been extended to us as well for the same reason. It is meant for our well-being and the well-being of all those around us. It is designed to help us and guide us as we attempt to live in this world. The law is part of the covenant that God has made with us to be our God. This new covenant is not harsh… it is loving and merciful… it is not harmful… it is forgiving and kind… Through this covenant we have the promise that when we mess up… when we break God’s laws… if we repent and turn back to God… God will forgive us, and heal us, and welcome us home once again. God gives us laws… rules to follow… not to be mean, not to cause us despair or hardship… but to bring the light of love into our lives… to give us joy because the laws are the expression of God's love for us… just as much as Christ's death on the cross is. It is through love that the laws are given… it is that same love revealed through Christ that offers forgiveness and salvation… It is the love that embodies the fulfilment and completion of the law. The same love we are called to demonstrate one another… It is the wondrous love of God that is within every person who believes in him and seeks to follow Jesus. Walking as he walked, living as he lived… trusting in God and in God’s Holy Word. Listen to that love - listen to the Lord your God - and be faithful. Amen
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Yeon Shin
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