Jack Hardaway
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The story goes that a diocese was interviewing a group of nominees for a bishop election.
The nominees were up on stage for the audience to ask questions.
A youth delegate came to the microphone and asked, “What are the ten commandments?”
The first nominee bumbled around and named most but not all.
The second nominee said he preferred Jesus summary of the Law, to love God and love neighbor. And left it that.
The third nominee asked which version did she mean, since scripture has several versions and they all differ in some way. The youth delegate said, “pick one”, and the nominee couldn’t.
Ever since I heard that story I have anxiety dreams of being put on the spot. A lay awake at night trying to count them out, and I always seem to forget at least one, always a different one left out each time.
Part of the irony is that I have had an ongoing fascination with the Decalogue, I have read books, taught dozens of classes, lead an entire summer camp session on it.
It is humbling and humorous.
I prefer the title Decalogue, the ten words, tapping into the biblical river of the word of God speaking the world into creation, and the word of the Lord coming to the prophets, respeaking a broken world back into wholeness, and the Word made flesh.
Ten words that reveal God and that respeak the world back together, that recreate.
Which is a long way from having ten rules not to break.
The preface to the commandments says it all: I like the Rite I version best, it goes “I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house bondage.”
That is the preface for each of the Ten Words. Not just the first word.
Each word is about being set free.
The first two words are for today. I’ll give a reflection on two a week, except maybe the Sunday the Bishop comes, I still don’t know what he plans to do.
You shall have no other god’s but me.
You shall not make for yourself any idol.
It touches on the Gospel this morning with the devil’s bargain for Jesus to fall down and worship him and he will give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And Jesus says, “Away with you Satan, for it is written, (and quotes Deuteronomy) Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”
We often think that idolatry is about literally bowing down to a graven image, or to having our priorities out of order.
And those are true things, true concerns.
But these two words are about what enslaves us, what owns us.
Idols, false Gods, bring only bondage, they own us.
The Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt out of the house of bondage, brings freedom.
The first two words bid us pause and consider, are we free, or are we in bondage?
If we choose love then we are free.
If we choose otherwise then we are in the house of bondage, we have fallen to the ground and worshiped the devil.
These first two words reveal God as the one who brings freedom. Which is a comfort.
These first two words also challenge us to ask, who do I bow down before, what owns me?
Next week the third and fourth words, about taking the Lord’s name in vain, and keeping the Sabbath.
Speak the word that sets the world free.