Breaking the rules, 2.26

Deuteronomy 6:17-25

¹⁷You must diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his decrees, and his statutes that he has commanded you. ¹⁸Do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may go in and occupy the good land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you, ¹⁹thrusting out all your enemies from before you, as the Lord has promised.

²⁰When your children ask you in time to come, “What is the meaning of the decrees and the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?” ²¹then you shall say to your children, “We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. ²²The Lord displayed before our eyes great and awesome signs and wonders against Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household.

²³He brought us out from there in order to bring us in, to give us the land that he promised on oath to our ancestors. ²⁴Then the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our lasting good, so as to keep us alive, as is now the case. ²⁵If we diligently observe this entire commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, we will be in the right.”

Matthew 5:17-24, 43-48

¹⁷“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

²¹“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ ²²But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. ²³So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. ⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

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            Welcome to Lent. Traditionally in the church Lent is a time of fasting, reflection and repentance. During this 40-day period we think about Jesus’ 40-day fast at the beginning of his ministry. We also think about his journey to Jerusalem and the cross.

            Christ’s death and resurrection are the heart of our faith and they are too big a mystery to take in all at once. Lent gives us time to embrace that mystery by helping us imagine we are walking with Jesus to Jerusalem. We’re invited to journey with Jesus and reflect on everything that separates us from him, and to imagine what a new beginning in our faith and life could look like.

            To help us on this journey our Lenten sermon series will be about sin and the cross, two crucial and related parts of the Christian faith. We’ll be studying the same passages during supper and scripture on Wednesdays, so if you’d like a little more time to digest these passages, it would be great to have you with us on Wednesdays too.

The first three weeks, we’ll explore three different ways of looking at sin. This week we’ll talk about sin as breaking the rules, doing things that God doesn’t want us to do or not doing things God does want us to do. Next week we’ll talk about sin on a bigger level, the way culture and structures that we are a part of are sinful in themselves. By that I mean things like sexism, racism, homophobia and economic injustice; big picture issues that keep people from the abundant life God wants for everyone. The third week we’ll talk about sin as a symbol for everything that separates us from God and from other people.

The second half of Lent we’ll talk about three different ways of thinking about what Christ did on the cross to save us. Each of these weeks will more or less fit with one of the ways of thinking about sin. So March 18^th we’ll talk about how Jesus’ death takes the punishment that we deserve for our sins so we can be forgiven. The next week we’ll talk about how the injustice that Jesus was so fearless in confronting led to his death at the hands of the powerful. Finally, on Palm Sunday we’ll talk about how Christ’s death on the cross shows us the depth of God’s love and the length to which God will go to break down the barriers that separate us from God and from our neighbors.

My hope with this series is that we’ll be encouraged to understand and confess the ways we’ve turned away from God and the barriers to a fuller life of faith. Then we’ll understand the power of Christ’s love for us on the cross so we can trust that love more deeply. Hopefully, we’ll arrive at the cross on Good Friday with a stronger faith and greater love for Jesus so we’re ready to embrace his death and prepare for the new life of the resurrection at Easter and beyond. Throughout this season, like any other time, I’d love to hear from you how I can help you grow in faith and experience the grace of God more fully.

            For many of us, the first thing that comes to mind when we think about sin is breaking the rules. Our passages for today talk about God’s rules for the chosen people of Israel. We call these rules the Law, which means not just law but also teaching.

The Ten Commandments are the core of God’s law and many of the more specific regulations in scripture are basically practical examples of the Ten Commandments in action. The passage we read from Deuteronomy comes soon after Moses reminds the people of the Ten Commandments. When Moses talks about covenant or instruction or law, if we think about the Ten Commandments we’ll have a pretty good idea what he’s talking about.

Moses talks about God’s law as a guide for the people of Israel as they enter the promised land. Moses knew he wouldn’t be with the people any more and he knew they would face new temptations and challenges when they came to their home. Rules would help the people stay on track, so God gave them the law.

God’s law was also a reminder of the people’s history and their connection to God. As the generations got further away from the exodus, Moses and God knew the people would need to be reminded that God had rescued them from slavery in Egypt. The law was a reminder that they hadn’t gotten to where they were by their own strength or goodness, but because of God’s love. The law wasn’t just a set of rules, but also reminder that they belonged to God.

Jesus pushes the law even further but keeps us focused on the point, not the details. He says he comes to fulfill the law, not abolish it. Then he gives several examples that take a commandment and make it stricter. The commandment says, “Don’t kill.” Jesus says, not only that, but also don’t insult or demean people. The commandment says “love your neighbor;” Jesus says love your enemies too.

Jesus makes the commandments broader: love isn’t limited to those inside the community but includes even to enemies. Strict obedience to the “rules” isn’t enough, either. It’s not enough not to kill; Jesus calls us to avoid even the violence of insulting others.

Like the original commandments, Jesus’ version provides guidance for a new community in a new situation. As we seek to follow Jesus today, his rules still guide our actions. Also like the original commandments, Jesus’ words remind us who we are and who we belong to. We follow Christ’s commands because we are his people. As God led Israel out of slavery in Egypt and gave the people rules for following God, Jesus leads us out of slavery to sin and guides us to a new life following him.

saved by grace

Matthew 14:22-33

²²Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. ²⁵And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. ²⁶But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. ²⁷But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

²⁸Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³²When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Reading Romans 10:5-15

⁵Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” ⁶But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷“or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸But what does it say? “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

¹⁰For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. ¹¹The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” ¹²For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. ¹³For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

¹⁴But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? ¹⁵And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

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            One of the key questions in human existence is how to live a good life. We ask that question in different ways. Religiously we sometimes put it in terms of how to please God or how to be saved. In this passage, Paul talks about righteousness and salvation.

            Paul talks first about “the righteousness that comes from the law.” His summary is brief, scriptural and to the point: “The person who does these things will live by them.” In other words, we become righteous by doing the right thing, by following the rules. We say the same thing in different ways: actions speak louder than words.

            This view of righteousness is true because being righteous, doing the right thing has to include action. Laws and rules are good, and society can’t function without them. The Law Paul talks about is the Law of Moses, which is the rules and values God gave to Israel. That means they are not only a reflection of the values of the people of Israel, but a reflection of the society God wanted Israel to be. Following the law is a good thing, especially when we’re talking about God’s law.

            At the same time while our actions are important they don’t tell the whole story. It’s possible to put too much emphasis on rules and behavior. Life is more complicated than a set of rules. Laws and rules work well as a guide to life (if they are good laws), but they require interpretation and an open heart to adapt to changing circumstances. Sometimes we forget this and put too much confidence in the law itself.