Picture it, a people enslaved for a generation, now freed.
Their bodies and souls stretch,
experiencing expansive empowered joy
after the cramped constraints of every decision being made by another.
They are autonomous,
they can make choices,
determine their own fate, for both good and ill…
they are free…
and, and there is a whole community of ‘em.
They weren’t freed alone, but as a people,
a people who will have to travel together,
make decisions together,
and live together.
That’s where these folk find themselves, and I would maintain,
every time we reflect upon the 10 Commandments,
that’s where we find ourselves as well…
the great tension between freedom and community.
That great Lutheran maxim,
that we are “Slaves to none, and servants of all,”
is central to a decent understanding of these commands.
They explain to a whole community,
our community even,
what we are freed from,
and what we are freed for.
Prayer.
You shall have no other gods before me.
We are freed from every idol, every false God.
Consider what things you fear, love, or trust
—do you give them more honor or worth than they deserve?
if so, those might be your idols.
Freed from any small-if/then-god
—anything or anyone saying,
“If you do this that or the other,
then you will find freedom,
you will have dignity and self-worth,
you will matter.
We are freed for relationship with our Liberator
—the Because/Therefor God
Because I am God all by myself,
I AM that I AM
Therefor, you all are my people
You are made in my image
You are my Children.
Yes, freed to worship the God who is God.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
We are freed from the dangers of the finite speaking of the infinite
—freed from speaking false gods into existence.
Freed from the abuse of religion.
Freed from superstition.
Freed from clouding our words and world with pieties,
to hide evil intentions.
We are freed for good and gentle God talk.
Prayer, praise, thanksgiving
—cascading from our lips,
and seen in our lives.
Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.
We are freed from hard labor and ceaseless production;
the impossibility of more, more, more,
until we are all no more.
Freed from restless hearts and bodies,
enslaved, purchased and parched.
Freed from the false worship of those small gods I mentioned before.
Transactional If/Then worship of all sorts.
We are freed for rest, liberation, and worship
—braided together these three
are the single sacred strand that is Sabbath.
Freed for a day good… for nothing
—the world will keep spinning without you!
Freed for acts of kindness and justice.
Freed for worship
—that experience of the restless heart resting in God.
Honor your father and mother.
We are freed from authority figures fashioned in the likeness of idols.
Freed from dishonorable family entanglements
and threats of abandonment.
Freed from the harsh wallop of absolute freedom
—a Lord of the Flies
feral version of being human.
We are freed for honoring all authorities that reflects God’s authority
—leading with humility and vulnerability.
Freed for care in old age,
a hard thing even today,
but terrifying in the ancient world.
Freed for learning trustworthiness and life lessons
from good mentors and parents.
You shall not kill.
We are freed from the fear of violence,
the normalization of maiming the image of God through murder,
even anger and curses,
are challenged by God’s liberation.
We are freed for what Luther calls the work of a lifetime,
being a life-giving community.
Freed to help and to honor our neighbors,
especially when they are in need.
You shall not commit adultery
We are freed from second guessing
and never knowing where you stand,
from sneaking around and STDs.
Freed from abuse, exploitation, and unhealthy relationships of all sorts.
We are freed for relationships that
uphold trust,
build up both partners,
and strengthen sexual integrity.
Freed for honoring and helping
those who struggle to love and trust one another for their whole life long,
through ups and downs and everything in between.
You shall not steal.
We are freed from every type of theft
and the ways they warp individuals and communities.
Free from loving things and using people.
Free from the ceaseless acquiring of things,
after all that country song isn’t wrong:
“I never seen a Herse with a trailer hitch.”
We are freed for protecting our neighbor’s property
and working to better their livelihood.
Free for loving people and using things.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
We are freed from lies
and the exhaustion of having to keep track of them.
Freed from walking back what we didn’t mean
or leaning into an untruth forever.
Freed from words wielded like weapons
—defamation and dishonor,
libel and perjury.
We are freed for truth,
defense of neighbor,
and interpreting actions in the best possible light.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or household
We are freed from covetousness resentment, strife, and jealousy.
Freed from commandments broken in our hearts
—the insidious festering of wounds hidden from view
but eating away at you…
freed from the last cough of self-righteousness.
We are freed for contentment and harmony.
Freed for assisting neighbors in keeping what is theirs.
Freed for gratefulness and thanksgiving.
The 10 commandments carry within them
a memory of slavery,
in the boundaries they set out.
They contain as well,
a community’s hopes and dreams
—the why of freedom.
What we’re freed from and freed for.
Take a moment and look around the sanctuary at one another,
this community gathered today…
We are slaves to no one, but servants of all.
Hold in tension freedom and community.
A high calling
—this Christian Freedom Luther bequeaths to us.
God has liberated us
—love each other.
Amen.
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