The Daily Light – September 14, 2007

The Daily Light – September 14, 2007
Friday Catechism Meditation:  The First Commandment
A weekday email devotion from Pastor Christopher Jackson
Saint John's Lutheran Church, Lexington, KY
Bread of Life Lutheran Church, Georgetown, KY

The First Commandment

You shall have no other gods.

What does this mean?

We should fear, love and trust in God above all things.

"All things."  These are interesting words, and they help us to see the predicament in which we humans live.

On the one hand, God is the creator of all things.  He made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, both seen and unseen.  And for these things we should thank and praise Him, fear, love and trust in Him.  Part of this is partaking in the bountiful goodness that God has given us, delighting in His gifts.  While Christians must be ready to be deprived of all things, even their lives, for the sake of the Gospel, at the same time they can and even should delight in the wonders and blessings of creation, for to despise the works of God are to despise Him.

On the other hand, how easy it is for us to shift from delighting in the world to worshipping it.  The woman who puts on makeup and does her hair can be nurturing and delighting in the beauty God has given her.  This is good, but how easily this can slip into vanity!  The man who lifts weights can do so to nurture God's good gift of strength.  How easily this slips into pride.  The worker who has been given business sense can use this to serve society by setting up high quality and efficient business practices.  How easily this sense can be used to destroy others' careers for the sake of one's own.

It is easy to slip from thankfulness to God for His gifts and into idolization of these gifts.  Truth be told, until Christ returns we cannot ever be rid of our idolization of His gifts.  Because of this, our sinful humanity beckons us to hide from God, it invites us to not fear, love, and trust in him.

Thanks be to God that Christ has reconciled us to God through His passion and death and that by His sending of the Holy Spirit, we are constantly being reoriented away from setting up idols and toward worship of the living God, our Father. 

Let us pray:  Holy Father, at the wedding feast in Cana, your Son delighted in your creation in the meat, drink, dancing, and rejoicing.  That we may enjoy your creation without idolizing it, conform us to your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

--
Pastor Christopher Jackson
Saint John's Lutheran Church

516 Pasadena Drive, Lexington, KY 40503.  Phone and fax:  859-277-6391  Cell: 502-316-2255  Email: revcjackson@gmail.com

http://www.stjohnslex.org     http://bluegrasslutheran.blogspot.com