Sermons in Glass 7. Prophets

Sermons in Glass: 7. Prophets

The Church of the Wayfarer

Dr. Norm Mowery, Pastor

October 20, 2013

Exodus 20:1-4; 7-9, 12-20

          Carmel-by-the-Sea has been known over the years for its interesting laws:

·        ‘You may not eat ice cream while standing on sidewalk.’

           I understand that Clint got rid of that one!

·        ‘Men cannot go outside in miss matched colored pants and coats.’

          I wonder if that is still on the books?

·        There is one that I know is still on the books.  ‘The municipal code bans wearing shoes having heels more than 2 inches in height or with a base of less than one square inch unless the wearer has obtained a permit to wear them.’

          My wife, Linda, didn’t want to break the law so she signed a special waver and has a certificate to show for it. It is officially recorded in the records of Carmel-by-the-Sea that Linda Mowery is now permitted to wear high heels!

          Permits are available without charge at City Hall.

          Today in our ‘Sermon in Glass’ we will learn about God’s laws and:

          1. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of Holy Week.

          2. Moses receiving the Ten Commandments

          Here we see Moses, the towering Old Testament figure, receiving the Ten Commandments. Aaron is the brother of the High Priest and stands by with the rod in his hand.         

          Notice that I said that they are Ten Commandments not Ten Suggestions!

          Some people think that the Ten Commandments are as quirky as Carmel’s laws.

          3. Francis Asbury who was Wesley’s apostle to America.

          I am continuing this series of messages based on the stories in our stained glass windows. There are sermons in glass around us that tell the story of the Christian faith.

          The top windows tell of the life of Jesus. This morning we begin the last week of Jesus’ life.

          Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem—here we have the coming of the King.

          The donkey is a humble beast, right?
                   Wrong.
          In the Hebrew Scriptures, it is kings who ride on donkeys.

          As Jesus enters the city on the donkey, the crowd cries, “Hosanna!”  

          This exclamation is an Aramaic phrase that means “Help!” or “Save us!” or even more urgent “Save Us Now!”

          When Jesus rode into Jerusalem that day, He claimed to be king, but He claimed to be the King of peace.

          The people looked to Jesus as a Prophet/King.

          Kings and Prophets bring laws.

                Jesus brought but one law.

          It was the law of love.

          Moses with the commandments

          The commandments contain a list of “thou-shalt-nots” but these 10 rulings are not meant to be negative.

          In fact, they are intended to give us a very positive framework for the living of our lives.

          The first four commandments provide us with guidance for our relationship with God,

          and the last six explain what it means to have a healthy relationship with each other.

          You can think of the Ten Commandments as being two pictures, instead of one.

          After all, God used two tablets of stone to deliver the commandments to Moses.
          Worship of God’s majesty.

                   That’s picture one.

          And love of one another.

                   That’s picture two.

          They are equally beautiful.

          No doubt Jesus had this two-frame approach in mind when he said that the greatest commandment calls us to “love the Lord your God”

                             and to “love your neighbor as yourself”.

          Looking at the Ten Commandments, we see that the first frame contains the divine directives that instruct us:

          to have no other gods except the Lord,

          to avoid idolatry,

          to refrain from misusing the name of God,

          and to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

          These are simple and straightforward, forming a clear picture of what it means to be in a right relationship with God.

          Are they negative?

          Not at all.

          They can certainly be a challenge for us,

                   especially when we find ourselves tempted to bow down to the

                             idols of Wall Street

                             and Hollywood

                             and power.

          They can be countercultural,

                  particularly when we struggle to maintain a Sabbath day in a fast-                                paced 21st-century culture.

          Clearly, these commandments are designed to help us, not to hurt us.

          The worship of God’s majesty is a positive, not a negative.

          It makes us stronger, not weaker.

          The very same can be said for the second frame of the Ten Commandments, despite the repeated “thou-shalt-nots.”

          There is an enormous amount of guidance to be gained from these final six commandments,

          despite our natural tendency to rebel against any limitations on our human freedom.

          You may have heard of what happened when Moses came down from Mount Sinai after a long day of negotiating with God.

          He looked very tired, but the Israelites were anxious to hear what he had to say.
          Moses said, “I have some good news and some bad news .... The good news is that I got God down to only Ten Commandments ....
          “The bad news is that God wouldn’t budge on the adultery issue.”

          These commandments provide a positive framework for the living of a good life in relationship to our neighbors.

          When we honor our parents,

                    prohibit murder,

                    resist adultery,

                    turn from stealing,

                    speak with truthfulness,

                    and refrain from envy,

          we find ourselves much better able to love our neighbors as ourselves.

          The keeping of these commandments moves us into relationships that not only reflect the will of God,

                   but also provide us with much happier and healthier lives.

          We may think that a little stealing is no big deal, but then we pay inflated prices to cover the cost of theft.

          We may believe that “thou shalt not covet” is an old-fashioned notion, but then we realize that we’re being eaten up by the envy we feel when we watch shows about the lives of celebrity superstars.

          People talk about “breaking” the Ten Commandments,

                   but that’s not exactly right.

          We cannot actually break anything as solid as the law of God.

          Instead, it’s more accurate to say that

                   we break ourselves against the Ten Commandments.

          Think of the commandments as big slabs of stone that we smash ourselves into — we crash into these rocks and we hurt ourselves through acts of stealing or envy.

          When we collide with the commandments, we’re gonna get hurt.

          Period.

          The Ten Commandments were removed from a Kentucky courthouse in 2001 by order of the Supreme Court.

          All that is left is an empty frame.

          I wonder, “Where do the Ten Commandments belong in our own lives?

           We need to ask ourselves:

          Am I displaying them clearly in my own daily words and deeds?

          Am I keeping them prominently posted in my personal life?

          Or am I an empty frame?

          We’re an empty frame when —
                    • Our lifestyle reflects the values of materialism.
                    • We attempt to legitimize our ideologies by attaching the name of                               God.
                    • We have no concept of Sabbath rest.
                    • We fail to honor and respect our elders.
                    • We carry hatred and resentments in our hearts against others.
                    • We are unfaithful to our wedding vows.
                    • We take for ourselves what belongs to others.
                    • We pass on gossip, rumors against a neighbor.

          Jesus took the Ten Commandments and summed them up for us:

                   1. Love the Lord your God above all things, and

                   2. Love your neighbor as yourself.”
          Simple.
          It is like the two tablets of stone.

                    On one side is God.

                              On the other side is neighbor.

                    Both are important.

                              Both are God’s will.

                    Both are found throughout the Bible.

                              Both are close to the heart of Jesus.
          Here are the Ten Commandments, Cowboy Style—

                   (1) Just one God.
                    (2) Put nothin’ before God.
                    (3) Watch yer mouth.
                    (4) Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
                    (5) Honor yer Ma & Pa.
                    (6) No killin.’
                    (7) No foolin’ around with another fellow’s gal.
                    (8) Don’t take what ain’t yers.
                    (9) No telling tales or gossipin.’
                    (10) Don’t be hankerin’ for yer buddy’s stuff.
                    Most of all keep all of these commandments in the picture. Keep them posted. Keep them visible.   Otherwise you’ll be an empty frame.

          Have you ever tried quickly to pull a dangling thread from the hem of a pant-leg or jacket, only to find you've got hold of one of those dreaded running stitches?

          Instead of breaking off, the thread continues to unstitch itself until the entire hem falls out. Instead of freeing yourself from one annoying little thread, you now have a major clothing catastrophe.

          That is what happens when we break one of the commandments. It is always the little things that end up getting us in the biggest trouble

          Francis Asbury the “prophet of the long road,” was Wesley’s apostle to America. He crisscrossed the eastern United States covering 275,000 miles on horseback, passing over the Allegheny Mountains sixty times.

          He was American Methodism’s first Bishop.

          Before Asbury was born, God had appeared to his mother in a dream and told her that she was going to have a boy and that he was destined to become a great Christian leader.

          From the moment of his birth, his mother prepared him for his destiny.

          Francis Asbury had many flaws and yet he was a great leader. He had times when he tended to have gloomy thoughts. He was pessimistic.  In his journal he recorded more failures and misgivings than success in his ministry. He had “frequent spells of morbid depression”. He tended to use cynical sarcasm in his preaching.

          Isn’t it amazing how God can use flawed persons for good?

                   Maybe there is some hope for me after all!

          In 1784, John Wesley named Asbury as a superintendent of the work in America. This marked the beginning of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States. For the next 32 years, Asbury led all the Methodists in America. However, his leadership did not go unchallenged.

          Jesus entry into Jerusalem.

          Moses.

          Francis Asbury.

          Sermons in Glass.

          The Ten Commandments recalled in order are as close as children's fingers. Teach the children the Ten Commandments so that they can remember and always carry the commandments with them.
          Hold up one finger indicating that God is number one: You shall have no other gods before me.
          Hold up two fingers; pretend to use them as scissors to cut out a paper doll which is like making an idol which is not permissible because number two is: You shall not make for yourself an idol.
          Three fingers form a W for Word and reminds us to take the Word of God seriously. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD, your God.
          Four fingers with the opposable thumb held down reminds us that without the thumb, work is difficult. Get the children to try various tasks without using their thumbs: Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.
          Hold all five fingers up together as if you are taking a pledge to: Honor your father and your mother.
          Hold up six fingers and point the sixth finger at the other five like a gun: You shall not murder.
          Hold up seven fingers and move the two fingers on one hand together to symbolize that the two shall become one: You shall not commit adultery.
          Hold up eight fingers to be reminded of the ancient penalty for stealing (cutting off fingers): You shall not steal.
          Hold up nine fingers and turn your hands to hide the thumb to remind us that we should not lie or keep things concealed: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
          Ten fingers remind children of when they get the gimmies and try to get other's stuff: You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

  

Pastoral Prayer

Please respond at the conclusion of each petition by concluding the phrase, “Lord in your mercy,” with the words “Hear our prayer.”

          Holy God, we bring before you the concerns of our hearts.

          We also seek to open ourselves to your concerns, knowing that your heart is wider than ours and your compassion, deeper.

          We pray for those who did not have enough to eat for breakfast today, for those who are waiting anxiously for their end-of-the-month check, and for those who live in their car or camp out on a friend’s couch.

          Lord, in your mercy ... hear our prayer.

          We pray for those who had bad news from the doctor, for those who can’t afford health insurance, for those who were kept awake last night by pain, and for those recovering from surgery.

          Lord, in your mercy ... hear our prayer.

          We pray for those who are unhappily married, for those who would rather not be single, for the parents overcome by demanding children, and for the older person who has not been hugged by a child in years.

          Lord, in your mercy ... hear our prayer.

          We pray for those who are too depressed to open the blinds in the morning, for those who grieve the loss of a love, and for those who mourn the death of a friend.

          Lord, in your mercy ... hear our prayer.

          Living God, you call us to new life even in our sorrows and concerns. Help us trust in the promise of the resurrection, and teach us to hear your whispers of hope. For we pray in the name of the great hope-giver, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ whose prayer we pray together saying…...