“This life, therefore, is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not yet finished, but it is actively going on. This is not the goal but it is the right road. At the present, everything does not glam and sparkle, but everything is being cleansed.”
Martin Luther, Defense and Explanation of All Articles (1521)
On Sunday, we heard two scriptural passages that can be fun to explore.
The first scripture was Exodus 20 (1-17), the Ten Commandments and it never hurts us to be reminded of these commandments.
1. You should have no gods above me.
2. You should not use my name in vain or use it wrongly.
3. You should remember the Sabbath, or day of rest, and keep it holy.
4. You should honor your father and mother.
5. You should not murder.
6. You should not commit adultery.
7. You should not steal.
8. You should not bear false witness or lie.
9. You should not covet your neighbor’s house.
10. You should not covet your neighbor’s… well you name it.
The last commandment includes everything from your neighbor’s wife and children, to their slaves, to their livestock… it literally covers it ALL.
The Ten Commandments are imagined as the foundation of the law; thus, we envision these as the Word ‘Commands’ us.
The Ten Commandments are standards by which all people, all societies, and all faiths embrace, therefore it is a common code of conduct that we ALL struggle to fully live into. Read the rest of this entry »