I received an amazing complement from after this sermon:
'You've got balls!'
so welcome to my ballsy sermon!
God at the Center: Of our Speech
Exodus 20:7/ Deut 5:11
The Question:
The Bad News: God is not ‘user-friendly’ is not a source simply for our own self-discovery… to be used for our purposes…
The Good News: Those who conform to God’s will, who ‘speak well of God’ are promised strength and even victory…
The Celebration: God has given us Good News, speech that brings Life!
Intro:
Last week we started to look at the 10 Commandments. Specifically we talked about how the common conception of the 10 Commandments is that they are this overwhelmingly oppressive weight that we have to carry… a series of negatives… THOU SHALL NOT!!! And we looked at the story in Exodus chapter 20 specifically, where we learned that the 10 Commandments are not intended to bind us or confine us or oppress us… but instead to free us. I am the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, the 10 Commandments start in Exodus… the 10 Commandments were meant to make us free!
Specifically we talked about being free from other idols and other gods… and we identified these idols and gods, at least some of them… That which we devoted time to, that which was at the center of our lives… For example we noticed how much time American’s spend watching TV, a total of 65 days out of the year, Compared to a little more than 3 total days in worship in a year. If our gods and idols are those things that get our time and attention, than TV is one example of a modern day idol.
Last week we focused on the first two commandments… This week we turn to the third possibly the ninth…
First this morning, the third commandment.
Ex 20:7 7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
So, you wake up in the middle of the night…
It’s pitch black, nothing but the blue glow of the alarm clock
You are still mostly asleep, and you stumble with one eye half-open
To go to the bathroom…
And you trip over the cat
Or step, with your bare feet, on a toy that the kids left out
Or stub your toe on the stand beside your bed
And it hurts like heck!
What do you say?
Do you say piddly-poo!
Tartar sauce? There is Sponge-bob reference for you
Whether you want to admit it or not I don’t think that is what you say…
And for those of you who do say that I applaud your self-control…
I utter some colorful speech enhancers!
But is that a violation of the third commandment?
I. The real meaning of Misusing God’s name…
Brueggemann quote: …the avoidance of the misuse of God’s name suggests that God is not ‘useful’ has no utilitarian value, is always an ‘end’ and never a ‘means.’ This God will be worshipped only for the sake of God’s own life, purpose and way in the world. The wrong use of God’s name seeks to draw God’s power into more frivolous modes of life where human beings retain control. Thus, instead of honoring God, God is put to use… (Breuggemann, Deut. P. 68)
What Brueggemann is saying is that the real issue that the third commandment is getting at is our relationship to God…What is the purpose of this relationship… is our relationship to God built on the assumption we are going to get something out of it? Is God a means to some other end? If so then we are at the center…our wants, our agenda’s, our selves… not God.
This alone is challenging enough. We live in a culture that tells us that we should be who we are… that our we will find happiness and peace when we discover who we are as individuals and pursue that individuality… But the third commandments, well the first three together really, suggest that we do not find fulfillment in ourselves, but in pursuing God. God holds who we are…we are created in God’s image, so in discovering God we discover who we are. A journey of self discovery without God is in vain in the King James Language. I journey to discover God leads us to discover ourselves…
That is pretty philosophical stuff… so lets look at a cluster of examples
the Atlantic published a story in the December 2009 issue that focuses in
Self-discovery vs. discovering God and self
Faith that puts God to personal use
Which means we are at the center
In an article by Hannah Rosin entitled, ‘Did Christianity Cause the Crash’ the wide-spread popularity of the prosperity gospel is examined. The prosperity gospel is extremely popular is many of the mega-churches around our nation, notably Joel Osteen, whom I love to bash, but will refrain from, today. It is very popular in a number of ethnic churches as Rosin highlights in this article, but it has its roots in white anglo Protestantism. Oral Roberts was the first to promise miraculous financial reward to any and all who would send him $100.00.
The Prosperity gospel can be summed up in ‘God wants you to be wealthy!’ and is one example of what the third commandment is really pushing us to carefully consider.
Now notice how subtle this is.
We do believe that God provides for us
And wants us to have all that we need for abundant lives
But what abundant life means is completely redefined
In the gospels…
Seek first the kingdom and its righteous and all these THINGS shall be added
The prosperity gospel puts things first… not the kingdom
And as we discussed last week, in talking about the first two commandments, we can easily put things in the place of God
Prosperity Gospel misuses God’s name, uses God’s name in vain,
By teaching us to put things in the place of God and calling that faith…
And, we can tell what the agenda is here right?
The agenda for those preachers of the prosperity gospel is their own wealth success… and for the disciple of this gospel, the agenda is not the taking up of the cross, but the achievement of prosperity…. It is not God’s will, but their own for their lives.
Attempting to using God to get what they desire
Putting human desire in the clothing of faith in Christ
Bathing our wants in religious God-talk…
God becomes a cosmic coke machine and you put your prayers
Or your tithe, or your faith or whatever in…
And you will get back a return on your investment…
Now, this is subtle… so let me give you a couple more examples…
In at least two of his recorded speeches, President Bush replaced references to Christ with references to the United States in quotation, first from a hymn and then from the Bible. Instead of claiming, as the old hymn does, that ‘there is wonder-working power in the blood of the lamb,’ President Bush claimed that ‘there is power, wonder working power, in the goodness and idealism and faith of the American people.’ On another occasion, he quoted from John 1:1, only instead of referring to Christ as the light that shines in the darkness and that cannot be overcome, he identified ‘the ideal of America’ as that light. This ideal of America is the hope of all mankind. That hope still lights our way. And the light shines in the darkness. And the darkness will not overcome it."
(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jesus/president/public.html cited in an essay by Nancy J. Duff, Locating God in All the Wrong Places: the Second Commandment and American Politics. Interpretation, April 2006, pg. 187)
See what I mean by subtle?
Religious language, from hymn and from scripture is referenced,
In this case, both come right after 9/11
When then President Bush is trying to muster support
Both foreign and domestic for war in Afghanstan and eventually Iraq
If not God’s name, then God-talk, God language is used to make a human agenda and activity, sound like and appear as a divine calling…
Now, so that I will not be accused of partisanship I did a little research and found an example of a Democrat.
In a speech appealing to Congress for $400 million in aid to Greece, Truman called on the United States to aid all democracies in their fight against communist insurgents. He reminded Congress, ‘The free peoples of the world look to us for support in maintaining their freedoms. If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world and we shall surely endanger the welfare of this Nation.’ The United States could no longer be the ‘city upon a hill,’ but must act as a leader ‘against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.’ Truman placed this obligation … to ‘do our share toward carrying out the will of God.’
(Truman, Public Paper, 3:178,196, 272 quoted in Bombs, Bombasts and the Bible, Cold War Presidents and Religious Rhetoric; Danielle Meryn Holtz Serior Thesis in American History, Barnard College.)
Lets bring this idea a little close to home… first lets look at a couple of rants by Isaiah…
Isa 1:14-15
14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts
my soul hates.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
NIV
Isa 29:13
"These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips ,
but their hearts are far from me.
The Bad News is that even people of faith, of good will and of good intention, call subtly shift in their perspective, even in prayer… from being God-to self centered… the purpose of prayer can shift from a relational moment in which God shapes us, to a moment where we attempt to shape God…
We do this all the time. Perhaps it is because it can be challenging to teach children how to pray. It is simple teach them to be thankful and to ask for things, help with bullies, homework or test… these are the basics, be thankful and ask for help from God. But we don’t, I fear, grow beyond that. Because its hard to explain how prayer is an emptying of our own agenda’s, our own wants and dreams, to create space for God to reshape and transform our wants into what God wants. Prayer is meant to be emptying and transformational, but that is a difficult concept even for adults, much less children.
It might be shocking, but I think we need to carefully consider the fact that the way we pray is a misuse of God’s name. If the sum total of our time in prayer is a laundry list of things we want, even if they are kind, compassionate , selfless things; like health for a loved one, or financial stability for a friend in economic straights. If this is the only way of praying, we are still at the center, our way of seeing what the world should be like is the priority. We are using God instead of being used. (this little idea was planted in an essay by Will Willimon in the Christian Century, but I can’t find the exact issue to cite. )
Think of it this way. Do you have a friend or relative whom you only hear from when they want something from you? They never call unless they need a ride or a loan or a favor? How do you feel? That is what our prayers tend to be like, constantly asking favors, without ever having prayer be time spent with God, just to spend the time, without some agenda, some request to be fulfilled, without the hope of receiving anything but the presence of God in our hearts and minds?
But there is good news too…
How can we make this commandment a positive?
In the negative… do not use God’s name in vain
Do not speak empty word’s about God
Do not use God-words for your own good…
How might that be put in the positive?
The third commandment, about using God’s name, speaking about God
Draws US into a much larger story…
The story of God speaking
It reminds me of Genesis, where the universe is created by a word from God
The planets hang on their courses
And the stars are flung in their constellations
By a word
God spoke to Moses through the burning bush
A message of freedom and hope for his people Israel!
Christ spoke and storms were stilled
Demons cast out
Diseases healed
Jesus spoke Lazarus and a man was raised form the dead
And Jesus said to his disciples
Says to us this morning…
Mk 13:11
Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
In times of trial, we will be given something to say…
Our words too, can have the power to bring life…
Maybe not literally…
Mt 18:18-19
18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.
There is power in the speech, the words, of those who follow Christ…
I know it may not seem like it…
It may seem like no one listens
Like few care to hear just what we have to say…
But I think that the positive side, of the third commandment
Reminds us that when we speak well of God
We release God’s power to make people free
And I am reminded of the visit from Lauren Bethel Lauren Bethel is an American Baptist Missionary to, well, many places, Asia and Europe. Her Mission to minister to prostitutes and those caught in human trafficking and the sex trade. While she advocates for social reforms that offer safe housing, financial support, job training, and legal policies, she also advocates for disciples of Christ to go to the streets to share God’s love. She tells of how many times she has heard from the girls that she finds on the streets how important to them her words of love and comfort are. The words; God’ Loves You, inspire hope, bring strength, help these women envision a new day for themselves… the name of God and the words God gives, are powerful things for a disciple to share.
The third commandment, positively uttered, reminds us of these promises to the prophet Jeremiah, these words entrusted to us today, let us not use them in vain…
Jer 1:9-10
"Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down , to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."
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