This mornings lessons are about the difference between intent and practice. We always start with the best of intentions when we create a law, and we always muddled them up in the execution. So it is no surprise that the hardest laws of all, those of God, are abused in the worst ways.
What are God's laws? I'll give you a hint, there are only two.
Love God.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
It is easy to see the intention for us in these laws. An awareness of God, of the larger and better nature to be found in the universe will center us and allow us to treat others with the respect and dignity that we would like to be offered. If we all actually did these two simple things, we could spend far more time dealing with the actual problems in the world, like hunger and homelessness.
Sign me up. This sounds great. This looks like something we can do. It certainly seems like something we want to do. We have been given this perfect law, and it will allow us to lead wonderful lives, but we haven't changed all that much from the Israelites. And that is why we still drag around the 10 commandments. Because people needed some rules to go with those laws.
God sent Moses down the mountain with the 10 commandments. Because the Israelites were trying to Love God and Love their neighbor. But they didn't know what God looked like, and so they started making idols. They were very nice idols, they used a lot of precious metal and they treated it very nice. What more did God want? And they were trying to love their neighbor, but of course, the best way to show you love someone is to kill their enemies. So Moses got stuck climbing the mountain and facing the music.
These rules are much more explicit. Much easier to follow.
There are three rules about loving God. Such as knowing which one he is. And not boxing God in, because we easily get confused and start making objects the thing that cannot be desecrated, instead of God. And don't use the name God lightly, because it is all we really have to hold onto.
All the rest are rules about neighbors. Because we spend more time with neighbors than God. And first on the list, don't keep your neighbor from what little time they do spend with God. And be nice to your parents, don't kill anyone, don't confuse sex with relationships, don't take other people's stuff, don't lie, and stop trying to keep up with the Jones.
That seems to sum it up. But, of course, there are always those special cases, like what if my coworker is an atheist, is it OK to ask them to work on Sunday? What if my parents were abusive? What about child molesters? Would it be OK to kill them? Is it stealing or free market economics? Exactly what is a lie when everyone has a right to their own opinion?
Then there is a whole class of special cases that relate to God. Sit stand or kneel? Do we blow out the candles before during or after the closing hymn? Sola scripture? Works or grace? Does the secret recipe for communion bread make it more sacred than Wonder Bread?
Is anyone starting to see why Jesus went after the people in the temple with a whip? With some work, I could probably show how each one of the 10 commandments were being broken by the production line worship happening in the temple. The Jews at the time were so busy applying all the rules to their lives, and making sure that they knew who they were, that they had forgotten the law completely.
The intention was good. That is what we often forget in this story. We make out the money changers and animal vendors as horrible people who make a living off people's need to worship God. What about our own priests, some of whom actually get paid. What about Forward Movement, which sold us our photocopies of the scripture this morning. What about the companies that sell vestments and altars and 12 foot tall crosses. Our intentions are good.
It was the execution that went all wrong for the Jews in Jerusalem. They had made the temple into their God. What about our execution? Well, we have a lot of committees. Someone will get back to you.
Seriously, this is what Paul was trying to say in the Epistle to the Romans today. Our intentions and our execution do not match. “I do not understand my own actions.” says Paul, “For I do not do what I want, but the very thing that I hate.”
Love God, love your neighbor. It looks easy on paper, and we get up every morning with the intention of doing both. But we find ourselves at the end of the day having done the wrong thing.
I want to love my neighbor, and I know she needs someone to talk to her, but I do need to go get my kids from school. I know that my employee wants to go to church on Sundays, but we need the coverage for the 3 day sale. I know that life is hard in Mexico, but I don't want to pay for illegal immigrants to go to the hospital. I know running red lights is wrong, but I'm late. I know my faith helps me get through the day, but I wouldn't want to tell anyone else how to live.
Our intentions are always for the best. Our execution always brings us back to confession.
The psalmist warns us in his pleas:
Who can tell how often I offend? Cleanse me of my secret faults. Above all, keep me from presumptuous sins; let them not get dominion over me.
Then I shall be whole and sound and innocent of a great offense. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
A-men.
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