August Sermons - July 5, 2023
As you may know, I am on a planning sabbatical right now. What this means for me is that I avoid all other responsibilities and function as a full time student for a couple of weeks. This allows me to do some broad reading and some very specific study in preparation for the next season.
One of the things I have been working through arises from a question that a number of you have asked me: “why don’t we read the law in our worship services?” I have had some very interesting conversations on this. And for starters I should make it abundantly clear that I do not have any issues with the 10 commandments. I am also aware of the longstanding tradition of reading the decalogue in the worship service as a guide to holy living or even as a call to confession. So why have we broken from this tradition?
If you have been paying regular attention for the last couple of years you probably recognize that I like to rethink things. I believe that early on I suggested that you can consider me a large 3 year old who loves to ask “why?” On the regular use of the law in Sunday worship, I have applied this curiosity and here are some of my findings.
1. As with any regular recitation, it is difficult to keep it meaningful. There is a difference between a meaningful expression of a deeply held truth and the mere verbalization of words. Always reading forms or any particular passage requires that there be some life put into the presentation. I have always found that easier to do by changing things up. Even adding new things that we do repeatedly for a while can be part of that change. But paying attention to the question “is this doing what we hope it does?” is a question worth considering.
2. The first part of the 10 commandments is rather complex. I have asked a few people this seemingly simple question: what are the first two commandments? They struggled to answer. (Try for yourself right now, without looking them up). My sense is that even those of us who have formerly heard all 10 read from Exodus 20 on a regular basis don’t have a clear list in our mind. And even if we know the list we might be challenged to distinguish between #1 have no other gods before me and #2 don’t make idols for worship. Isn’t an idol simply another god? What is the difference? (and if at this point you are saying, those are good questions, isn’t it your job to answer that, Pastor Erick? Well, keep reading.
3. The most common theme running throughout a variety of sermon series in my time among you is “Love God and love your neighbour”. This is the summary of the law and is Jesus’ answer to the question “what is the greatest commandment?” The New Testament is full of references to love fulfilling the law (Romans 13:8, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8). So, if nothing else, we have had a regular dose of what it takes to keep the commandments.
Before I get to the plan, I want to make it clear that I appreciate it when people come in and ask me about these kinds of things. Even if we don’t walk away in total agreement, your asking is both an opportunity for me to learn what people are wondering about, and it shows that you sense that I probably have a reason for the things that I do. Thank you for stepping up to ask and I hope that my efforts to be understanding and appreciative were successful. This is all part of having “real conversations and holding on.”
Now, finally, I will speak to the title of this piece “August preaching”. For the four Sundays in August I plan to preach on the 10 commandments. Simple math indicates that I won’t be covering them all, at least not one at a time. I plan to do the first 3 and the last one. #4 about sabbath also requires some commentary but I have done that already in the last year.
The last thing I would like to do is to give you an opportunity to bring the decalogue to life for yourself. A simple assignment and one I have done for myself and for worship services. Write your own translation of the 10 commandments. Take the 10 commandments in Exodus 20 or Deuteronomy 5 and write one brief statement for each. For extra credit, make each one an affirmation of what we should do instead of a prohibition. For example, for “do not bear false witness” you could say “tell the truth”. If you do this exercise, please, please, please share it with me and who knows, it may even end up in a worship service this August.
Pastor Erick Schuringa