Homily for
Sexagesima
The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
Sunday 19 February 2017
The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
A Parish of the Diocese of Bethlehem and The Episcopal Church
Readings:
Second of Three-Part Preaching Series anticipating the coming Fast of Lent in Preparation for Easter...
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Last week we began our consideration of the Lenten Call to Repentance by
calling to mind the mercy of God. This
Sunday we take up the Law of God, remembering that Divine Mercy that gives us
the freedom to make our confession to God.
Last week you may recall I shared the thought that if we were asked
moments after making our confession and receiving absolution, “So what have you
confessed and been forgiven from?” would we have an answer. Today I want to share with you that the Law
of God gives us all that we need to prepare to make our confession in such a
way that if we were asked that question there would need be no discomfort for
we would know well how to answer.
In a few short weeks, once we have entered into Lent, we will begin the
Mass by hearing the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, the Law of God. Having heard this Law, we make our
confession. There is good reason for
this. The Decalogue is a wonderful
resource for us to us to prepare for confession. Today I want to show you why by waking with
you through these ten words of God.
I I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods but me.
We could move on quickly past this commandment with ease. Only remember what Jesus says about treasure
and the heart. The truth is that there
are no other gods but God. But the
moment that something or someone becomes our greatest treasure, that to which
we give our primary allegiance and eternal devotion, we have just embraced a
false god.
II Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them.
This is an extension of the first commandment. Worship belongs to God alone. If worship is given to any other god, a false
god, there is a need for us to confess and return to God.
III Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Here we have much need for forgiveness, for this is one that we break
frequently. Imagine whenever speaking the
name of God, or the name of Jesus, what your reaction would be if suddenly
there was a response. If we are speaking
the name of God in anything other than an act of worship to God or an act of
sharing with others about God, we have broken the commandment to not take the
name of God in vain.
IV Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.
There are two parts to this commandment.
Each part is a divine gift that God gives us for our good.
The first part is the rest of Sabbath in which for a time we are called
away from the ordinary rat race of daily life.
We all need those moments of rest.
If we fail to take them, we will wear ourselves out. This is a part of the Decalogue that I need
to hear often as a bi-vocational priest who knows that I am not very good at
taking Sabbath rest for myself.
The second part of Sabbath is the encounter with God. As Christians, this is not a part of Sabbath
but rather of the Lord’s Day. We gather
Sunday after Sunday to celebrate the Resurrection, to hear the Gospel and
receive the Eucharist, to encounter God and remember that Jesus is in our
midst. This commandment is a reminder
that God desires this of us, and when we neglect to be here, we fail to meet
the desires of God.
V Honor thy father and thy mother.
This commandment marks a shift. Until this point we have heard of our
relationship with God. From this point
on we hear of our relationships with one another. We are reminded here of the gifts that God
has given us in life. As our spiritual
life begins in God, our human life begins in our parents. But this is not limited to our biological
parents. God provides others for us as
we have need. There are physical parents
and there are spiritual parents. We
honor them all, remembering from where we came, and seeking to leave a legacy
for others as we have received one from others.
VI Thou shalt do no murder.
Again, this is a moment where we could be tempted to pass very
quickly. Only remember that murder is
not limited to physical death. Whenever
we cause harm of any kind to another person, we commit murder. When we speak harsh words that inflict pain,
we break the commandment. Sticks and
stones are not the only things that break bones. Words do hurt, and words can kill, sometimes
with greater effectiveness.
VII Thou shalt not commit adultery.
For us as Christians this commandment carries a heavier burden thanks to
Jesus who went a step further than Moses.
We need to remember this as we could be tempted to say things like “I
only thought it; I didn’t act upon it.”
Jesus tells us that if we imagine committing an act in our hearts, it is
a real as if we have done so. This
speaks volumes not just to the topic of adultery but to all the commandments. More importantly this drives us to our knees
in the knowledge that we need forgiveness, for how many times have we thought
something, even things we would never do, and yet the thought remains.
VIII Thou shalt not steal.
There are two errors in stealing.
The first is that the breaking of this commandment breaks another. God gives us and those around us what we and
they need to live. To steal from others
is to do them harm; essentially it is to do murder. One could even say it breaks the first
commandment too by making ourselves the ones who justify what others need and
don’t need, as if we were God. And the
second error is closely related to that.
If we feel the need to steal, then we show a lack of trust in God to
provide us with what we need. It is an
act that says to God, “I know better.”
IX Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
In other words, we should not lie. Now
keep in mind there are no such things as little white lies. Oh how many times we have been told that
lie. And how many times have we believed
it to be true. But there is nothing of
truth in this. When we lie, we do damage
to ourselves and one another. When we do
damage, there is a need for repentance.
X Thou shalt not covet.
The last of these words of God is again a reminder that God gives us all
that we need. Do we believe that to be
true? We can hardly say that if when
looking at a neighbor we long for what they have and we don’t.
May these ten words, this Law of God, so speak to our hearts that day by
day we would know what to present to God as brokenness in need of haling,
trusting in God whose mercy endures forever and who delights to take what is in
need of healing and make it whole and well.
Father
Timothy
Alleman
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