Healing Eden, Part 11: The Ten Commandments

In this episode we arrive, alongside Israel, at Mt. Sinai where God gathers the whole of his people to receive the Ten Commandments. But rather than looking at the specific, nuanced meaning of each of the commandments (we recently did this in the series The Abundant Life), we focus here on the larger question of: why? Why does God's journey with his newly established people begin with a set of instructions about what thou shall and shalt not do?

Is God, in the end, one, giant rule-giver in the sky - testing individuals to see who qualifies to receive blessings here and now, or perhaps in the hereafter? Is faith mainly a moral act? (Many strains of Christianity have certainly argued for something quite close to this!) Or is there another purpose in these "commandments"? A purpose having far more to do with love and health than determining a person's moral goodness?

I, obviously, think the latter. Specifically, I think that the 10 commandments are ultimately about establishing love as Israel's fundamental way of being in the world. And in this sermon I will hope to make my case!

Have a thought? A comment? A question?  I'd love for you to get in touch! 

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Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Exodus 19:1-6, 16-20:17 (NRSV)