Who is Your God?
Grace, mercy and
peace be unto you from God who is Creator, Christ and Comforter. Amen
In your bulletin today there is a chart of the 10
Commandments from three different major religions in the world. For those of you who went through
confirmation in the Lutheran world, you will recognize the one labeled
“Catholic” as the one you learned. It is
also the Decalogue (10 Commandments) for the Eastern Orthodox faiths. Why show this to you? Two reasons that I can think of…#1 –in
Judeo/Christian understanding of the world, we all agree that Moses and God had
a discussion and that the10 Commandments were essential for humans and God to
have this new covenantal relationship.
And #2 – even with this understanding, there is some room for
disagreement and change of emphasis.
When the nation of Hebrews left Egypt, they left a
polytheistic culture where the Pharaoh was a god. There were people who in their journey could
not give up the need for an image to pray to (there is the story of the golden
calf, right). In keeping with this
history it becomes apparent that the need to remember as the first commandment
that this God who called Moses from a burning bush to save them is ONE God, not
many gods. The Shema prayer, Hear O' Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One, starts
many services in Jewish religious life today.
When you look at the Catholic, Orthodox, and Lutheran church
histories, we have had many artists and artisans who have created for our
worship, statues, icons, paintings, mosaics, graphics of all kinds, to help us
in our faith journey – especially as we moved into and out of the Dark Ages
where most people were illiterate. To
have as a command “You shall not make for yourself a graven image” would be
detrimental to most churches in our faith traditions. This was an issue for Martin Luther as some
of his followers started destroying the interior of churches and he put a swift
stop to it – but not without great loss of artwork and some lives as people
were trying to stop this destruction.
When other Protestant traditions grew, the world was out of
the Dark Ages, people were reading more for themselves, and life had a
different focus – piety and devotion – devoid of statuary, paintings, icons,
etc. and the emphasis on individual
salvation and sanctification was preached from pulpits. Churches became plain and focused on the
pulpit, table and cross. Word, Meal,
Jesus. Today, more modern Protestant
congregations don’t even have these foci.
Big screens, bands and singers, and a sage on the stage are what worship
looks like.
Is it not reasonable that the 10 Commandments would be altered
to fit the context as the Christian community grew and changed?
There are some things that remain very clear, though the
numbering is different.
You shall have no
other gods is the first consistent command in all three graphs.
Why is that so important?
What makes this such a big deal?
Why? Because humans
are humans. We haven’t changed since the
first story was written about us in the Garden of Eden. We ALWAYS want to make something else a god
besides God the Creator. For Eve and
Adam, it was making themselves equal to God.
For those Hebrews in the wilderness, it was a golden calf, or Moses
himself as he came down from the mountain.
For some of the Jews of Jesus’ day, it was the Law that was god.
What is it for us today?
The temptations are all the same – money, power, prestige – or family,
friends, relationships – or cars, clothes, shoes – or influence, longevity,
youthful beauty – or stuff, electronic gadgets, technology – or … you name it.
I’ve never forgotten a stewardship specialist coming to our
congregation in Albuquerque and saying, “if you want to know what is a person’s
priorities, check the day planner and the checkbook.” (OK, it’s dated – who has a day planner or a
checkbook these days? Can we say handheld device’s calendar and bank info to
make it more up-to-date)? In other
words, what do you spend your money, and your most important commodity, your
time, on?
We are celebrating our graduates today – high school and
college – and the call for you as you move into the next phase of your life is
to keep God first. You know God. God is the one who formed you in your
mother’s womb, who celebrated your entry into the body of Christ at your
baptism, who has walked with you as you were confirmed, who continues to walk
with you as you move from graduation into this next part of your life – whether
that be more schooling or first jobs.
God is always, always, always with you – part of your DNA – and will
stay with you every day until your life’s end.
Putting God first doesn’t mean you have to become one of
those Christians who talks about God in every breath. It does mean that you recognize that God is
with you in every breath and every twist and turn of your life’s path. God never promises that your life will not be
without complications, or pain, or hard times – God promises to be WITH YOU in
the complications, pain and hard times as well as those times when life is
smooth, pain free and easy!
You shall have no
other gods – means that NOTHING can take the place of God first…not your
family, or your girlfriend/boyfriend, or your job…because when it all comes
down to it – God who created all things has given you your family, and your
friends, and your talents and abilities.
It all is God’s – we simply get to use it for a time.
Not super-pious, but super-aware…that every breath, every
gift, every growth we have been given is from God –who knows the exact number
of hairs on your head, who created every cell of your body - loves you more
than you will ever know, and thinks you are the most fabulous you ever!
Your journey takes a new turn in this graduation
season. The rest of us get to burst with
pride at your accomplishments and to celebrate you!
All of this applies to the rest of us as well – You shall have no other gods – God is
God and we are not!
God goes with us in every breath, in every action and
reaction, in every relationship and in every choice.
God loves us – deeply, passionately, intimately –
forever! And every day we have to answer
the question, “who/what will your god be today?”
I pray for all of us the answer will always be – the Triune
God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen
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