October 2, 2005Sermon:

“Thou Shalt Not… Thou Shalt”

Scripture: Exodus 20:1-20

Reverend Larry Gerber 

 

Today is World Wide Communion Sunday. A time to realize our connection of Christian communities around the world. A time to remember that in the breaking of the bread, we have the opportunity to re-visit the ten commandments; breaking bread and drinking of the cup, that we might be forgiven of our sins of omission as well as our sins of commission. This is a time to remember our connectionalism with others who need our help.In 1940 the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America established World-wide Communion Sunday – originally a Presbyterian observance – as a global, interdenominational event.  Prompted by the impact of World II, the Methodist Church received an offering on this Sunday for the Fellowship of Suffering and Service. It aided the work of the Methodist Committee on Overseas Relief. Today it is known as UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Today, we have provided you with Communion envelopes. We have 12 organizations that are helped by our monthly communion giving. Today, we are asking for a second mile giving, for UMCOR’s part in helping those who were caught in our recent natural disasters. The need will be there for a long time, so pray about your commitment, and respond as you feel led, over the next several months.I address the Ten Commandments today, because, as we break bread together, we need to remind ourselves of the meaning thereof. The first persons to break bread on this Sunday, were the people of Fiji. There day began 19 hours ago. It is now about 4:30 tomorrow morning in the islands. We continue the chain of breaking bread around the world as we worship today. We do so for the healing of people and their land, for our families and for ourselves. We break bread that we might restore the Ten Commandments of our lives. At least for one day, each year, Christians around the world break bread together. The Ten Commandments were removed from a Kentucky courthouse in 2001, raising the question of whether they can now be seen in our lives ... or not.

An empty frame.

For years, it was hanging in the lobby of the courthouse in Pulaski County, Kentucky. It was a blank and a void, and it looked rather ridiculous — but this picture of nothing was not nailed to the wall as a joke. Instead, it was put up as a testimony to something that had been taken away.

The frame used to contain the Ten Commandments, but in 2001 a U.S. district judge ordered that the display be removed, a decision that was upheld by a federal appeals court in 2003. It was determined that courthouse postings of the Ten Commandments violate the First Amendment of the Constitution, an amendment that forbids Congress from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.”

Down came the commandments, by order of the court.

But the frame remained.

A number of Kentuckians rose up to fight this ruling, and took their arguments all the way to the Supreme Court. Last winter, Darrell BeShears, the judge-executive of Pulaski County, traveled to Washington with 200 others to witness the proceedings. More than anything else, BeShears wanted to refill that frame, and return the Ten Commandments to public prominence.

As you might imagine, there’s been no lack of intensity around this issue. “It’s about our heritage. It’s about our history,” said Christian-radio owner David Carr to the Lexington Herald-Leader (March 3, 2005). “It’s about the future of our children.”

But others say no, as Americans we’ve got to maintain separation of church and state.

And so the arguments go on, and no doubt will continue to go on for many years to come. But as we ponder this issue, it’s clear that “Pulaski’s empty frame” does raise for each of us the question of where the Ten Commandments belong in our own lives. We need to ask ourselves: Am I displaying them clearly in my own daily words and deeds? Am I keeping them prominently posted in my personal life?

Or am I an empty frame?

As people of faith, we must fill our frames with not only the Ten Commandments, but with the Great Commandment Jesus gave us, as well as all the virtues of a Spirit-filled life.

It’s true that the commandments contain a list of rather daunting “thou-shalt-nots,” but these 10 rulings are not meant to drag us down into negativity. In fact, they are intended to give us a very positive framework for the living of our lives. The first four commandments provide us with guidance for our relationship with God, and the last six explain what it means to have a healthy relationship with each other.

You can think of the Ten Commandments as being two pictures, instead of one. After all, God used two tablets of stone to deliver the commandments to Moses. In his theological masterpiece, the Institutes of the Christian Religion, the Protestant reformer, John Calvin, wrote that “God has so divided his law into two parts, which contain the whole of righteousness, as to assign the first part of those duties of religion which particularly concern the worship of his majesty; the second, to the duties of love that have to do with men.”

Worship of God’s majesty. That’s picture one. And love of one another. That’s picture two. They are equally beautiful, equally innovative, equally well-crafted. No doubt Jesus had this two-frame approach in mind when he said that the greatest commandment called us both to “love the Lord your God” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-40).

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Looking at the Ten Commandments, we see that the first frame contains the divine directives that instruct us to have no other gods except the Lord, to avoid idolatry, to refrain from misusing the name of God, and to remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. These are simple and straightforward, forming a clear picture of what it means to be in a right relationship with the Lord, including “the worship of his majesty.”

Are they negative? Not at all. They can certainly be a challenge for us, especially when we find ourselves tempted to bow down to the idols of Wall Street and Hollywood and the Department of Defense. They can be countercultural, particularly when we struggle to maintain a sabbath day in a fast-paced, over-programmed, and ever-accelerating 21st-century culture.

Clearly, these commandments are designed to help us, not to hurt us. We tap into a source of energy and security when we worship God, rather than the powers of this world. And we lead a much healthier life when we take the time to rest, instead of working around the clock seven days a week. The worship of God’s majesty is a positive, not a negative. It makes us stronger, not weaker.

The very same can be said for the second frame of the Ten Commandments, despite the repeated “thou-shalt-nots” that it contains. There is an enormous amount of guidance and direction to be gained from these final six commandments, despite our natural tendency to rebel against any limitations on our human freedom.

You may have heard the story of what happened when Moses came down from Mount Sinai after a long day of negotiating with God. He looked very tired, but the Israelites were anxious to hear what he had to say.

Moses said, “I have some good news and some bad news .... The good news is that I got him down to only Ten Commandments ....

“The bad news is that he wouldn’t budge on the adultery issue.”

Whether the flashing red stop light appears in front of adultery or stealing or covetousness, we don’t like to hit the brakes and hear “thou-shalt-not.” But these commandments are not all about the negatives — they also provide a positive framework for the living of a good life in relationship to our neighbors. When we honor our parents, prohibit murder, resist adultery, turn from stealing, speak with truthfulness, and refrain from envy, then we find ourselves much better able to love our neighbors as ourselves. The keeping of these commandments moves us into relationships that not only reflect the will of God, but alsoprovide us with much happier and healthier lives. 

It’s important that we put the Ten Commandments, and the Great Commandment, and our understanding of discipleship back where they belong — in frames that are prominently posted in our personal lives. It’s important to realize that the commandments are a reliable guideline for moral choices, and an excellent framework for daily words and deeds. It’s time to reclaim the very positive view of God’s law that was once common in the Christian community. Martin Luther saw that the law has a social use since it exercises a restraining influence on society. He also realized that it has a teaching use since it points out sin and reminds us of our need for Jesus Christ.We come to the table today, because we recognize the need for forgiveness, wholeness, and repentance. We come to the table as others before us have, and as a part of the community of Christians around the world. We recognize the need for unity, and for helping others. We come to the table to give of ourselves, not only our possessions.

Let us prepare, as we read together The Prayer of Humble Access………..