Sunday 8 October 2017
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Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 (NRSV)
God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.”
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This reading presents us with familiar texts. The decalogue, more commonly known as "The Ten Commandments," is very well known to us. Sometimes we need to imagine it isn't. When something is well known, we tend to tune it out. And when we do so here, we're stuck with "commandments." And since a good many of us have a rebellious streak, we miss grace and mercy in this text. But these elements are present. In these 10 Words of God, if we can see and hear afresh what lies before us, as if for the first time again, there is a powerful reminder that the God who knows best longs for us to do what is best and life-giving in our relationships both with God and with one another. This need not be something to be viewed as heavy and oppressive, and thus to be rebelled against. This truly is a gift.
Is it an easy gift? No! Only one person has walked this earth and kept the decalogue fully without missing the mark of these words. Thankfully we have the confidence that this one who alone is perfect, Jesus, is the very one who comes to our assistance again and again to shepherd us in the right direction when we miss the mark.
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Fr. Timothy Alleman
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