What kind of community?

If you drive around Kamloops right now, you will see them everywhere.

If you look at or listen to the local news - you’ll see candidate profiles almost every time.

City elections are coming up - and quickly! And everyone - and this time everyone is a lot of people! - everyone wants us to vote for them. Their version of Kamloops is the one we should want too. And their methods of how to achieve that - however realistic or ridiculous - are the ones we ought to back.

It certainly begs the question: what do we want for our city? For our community?

Now, I’m not going to get into the politics of it all. There are different ways to identity the problems and there are a variety of ways to go about addressing the issues we face as a city. But, in the end, there are really two questions… what kind of community do we want to be and what are we willing to do or to sacrifice in order to get there?

The ancient Israelites had to ask the similar questions. And our text today is one of their anchor texts. Next to the covenant with Noah - I will bless and make my creation flourish - and Abraham and Sarah - I will bless you so that your descendants will bless the whole world - the giving of the 10 Commandments is another anchor point in the story of God’s people.

The whole book of Exodus outlines two basic movements: chapters 1-18 outlines how God saves this bunch and then chapters 19-40 outline how they are to live within this covenant. How life works best.

The people are still weeks away from the Exodus. This huge event that redefines them. But after 400 years of slavery, they don’t know how to be a community. So God says, here’s the kind of community you are going to be…

And then they answer - very enthusiastically, it seems, “We’ll do it!”

And then God lays out the way it will work. Give them the parameters that will help them flourish. Parameters of how to relate to God and parameters of how to relate to one another.

As Judy comes to read, would you please stand?

Exodus 19:1–8 NIV

1 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. 2 After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. 3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” 7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. 8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

And then continuing in the next chapter…

Exodus 20:1–17 NIV

1 And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

What kind of community are we going to be? Who are we?

Did you notice how the commandments begin with an identification of who it is that is addressing them? Exodus 20:2

Exodus 20:2 NIV

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

The foundation for the Ten Commandments is the identity of the God who issues them.

The people in the text have just come through the epic experience of the Exodus. And the people who were the first readers of this book were the descendants of these people, now living in Exile and putting their story back together, trying to make sense of it. Wondering whether they were now so far out of God’s plan… wondering who they were now that they were in Babylon. How did things get started? Were they still “God’s chosen way of blessing the whole world?” What would it look like to live out of that identity - even in Babylon?

There are three questions I’d like us explore this morning:

In this text, what do we learn about God?

In this text, what do we learn about relating to God?

In this text, what do we learn about relating to our neighbours?

What do we learn about God? In Exodus 20:5-6

Exodus 20:5–6 NIV

5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

It’s really easy to have our eyes glaze over when we read of the judgement of God. We can be tempted to skip over these statements or to try to de-emphasize them. But take another looks.

Does God have the capacity for graciousness? Yes!

Does God have the capacity for judgement? Yes!

What is the ratio of God’s judgement to God’s graciousness?

Ratio of mercy to judgment… 1000:3 or 4

That’s staggering.

So we do not come before a vengeful God who might relent from judgement to be gracious. We come before a gracious God, who, though possessing the capacity to judge, blesses beyond measure and way beyond merit.

Surely this must have been a comforting word to those in exile, wondering if they had somehow ended up outside of God’s capacity to bless…

So what do we do with this Law then? What is it FOR?

Well, unless you are someone who loves the Law (and, I have been surprised to find that there are people who LOVE the Law. Usually lawyers!) you may think of Law as bureaucracy and red tape and paperwork. As limitations to our freedom. As restrictions. But Law is also something that brings order to life, security and structure to society, defining the rights and responsibilities of its citizens.

And, you may have been taught that the OT Law was simply to bring about an awareness of sin so that the people would realize they needed saving. But that’s an oversimplificiation.

These 10 Commandments were given to define the kind of community the Israelites were designed to be. The way their society would function. Because God knew that, especially, coming out of 400 years of slavery, they would need some structure and order to things. And, as the book of Exodus was being written while the people were now in exile, I’m sure they were reflecting on what their community life should look like in Babylon. What kind of rights and responsibilities did they have now? Was it the same as when they were just weeks after the Exodus and God was helping them establish who they would be and how they would live?

Turns out, there were two directions they would need to bring order to…

how were they to relate to God and how were they to relate to one another.

There are three questions I’d like us explore this morning:

In this text, what do we learn about God?

In this text, what do we learn about relating to God?

In this text, what do we learn about relating to our neighbours?

So then what does relating to God look like? Commands 1-4

No other gods before Me - moving from many gods (and gods for each part of creation) to the One god

no graven images

My name - don’t lift up the name of God for things that are not worthy of God (Bobby Williamson)

Sabbath

And what does relating to others look like? Commands 5-10

Honour your father & mother

Murder

Adultery

Steal

Bear false witness

Covet

Turns out, there were two directions they would need to bring order to…

how were they to relate to God and how were they to relate to one another.

Which might make you think of what Jesus said in Matthew 22:35-40

Matthew 22:35–40 (NIV)

35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

The foundation of living the way the Ten Commandments direct us is love. Love for God. And love for others. Which are not two separate things in the end.

Our love for God and for neighbour are rooted in the saving acts of God. In God’s mighty acts - like the exodus, and yes, like the coming of Jesus. His birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension and promised return.

Rooted in WHO God is, we are invited to live life in a way that is ordered by the very character and activity of God. Relating to God in ways that honour and reflect the Divine. Relating to one another in ways that acknowledge that they too are image bearers of the One who made us. Love of God is love of neighbour and love of neighbour is love of God. They cannot ultimately be separated and growth in capacity for one will bring growth in the other.

I cannot actually be loving God more if it doesn’t result in loving my neighbour more. And loving my neighbour well will draw me into the love of God more and more.

It is into this swirl, into this reality that Jesus invites us… love God with all you’ve got with all of who you are - and then love those you encounter the way you love yourself. Treat them as the beloved of God, just as you have experienced being the beloved of God.

This kind of love - well, it could change the world.