Imago Adventus - 10 - Throw-away
Deuteronomy 5: 1, 5-22, 29 Moses summoned all Israel and said: Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today. Learn them and be sure to follow them. . . . I stood between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD. . . . And he said:“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “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. . . . “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God. . . . “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. . . . “Honor your father and your mother. . . . “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet. . . .” These are the commandments the LORD proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness; and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me. . . . [The Lord said,] “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always , so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” ------
Ok - this is likely a pretty strange picture when talking about the Ten Commandments. First, I am not saying that the commandments are trash - far from it. In fact, I was thinking about the long-lasting-ness of them throughout the day today and trying to find a picture of something that I felt could represent something as timeless as them. I could not, however, find something that really connected. As I got thinking and praying about it further, I realized that part of it might be that so much of what we have around us is not made to last. Devices, clothing, furniture, appliances, and so forth are not built to last decades but instead maybe just a few years, only to be replaced. And then where do those things go? Into a dumpster like this. We are so accustomed to a throw-away type of culture that it infects so many other parts of our lives - our relationships, our churches, ourselves. Do we look at ourselves and see a creation that God created and said was so very good? Do we look at our relationship with our churches and say that we are committed to them as long as we continue to have our needs met? Do we treat our relationships like they are with us for a lifetime or simply just a period of time? I'm not immune to this - none of us are. Yet, here we have in this passage a series of timeless commandments that guide us and lead us into the truth and life God desires for us.
Voskamp finishes her chapter with a beautiful timeless truth from Elyse Fitzpatrick...
I am more sinful than I ever dared believe, more loved and welcomed than I ever dared hope.
Amen.