Sermon for October 20th, 2013
Matthew 22:34-40
34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ 37He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’
Deuteronomy 5:15-21
15Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day. 16 Honour your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 17 You shall not murder. 18 Neither shall you commit adultery. 19 Neither shall you steal. 20 Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbour. 21 Neither shall you covet your neighbour’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbour’s house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.
Ten Laws, One Love: You Shall Not Covet
Once upon a time, a long time ago when I was just getting started as a preacher (you know, last year) I did a six-part sermon series on the elements of worship. By the time I reached the end of the series, I decided that six weeks in a row on any subject was too many. I promised myself I would never do that again. I promised I would only do sermon series' that were four parts, or maybe five maximum.
So...here we are today on the last sermon of our TEN part series on the ten commandments. That promise worked out well, didn't it? Somehow it just wouldn't have seemed right to do a five part series on the ten commandments--I guess we could have just done the even numbered ones, or maybe left out all the ones that begin with "you shall not..."
