Lent
February 26, 2018
Scripture Reading: Exodus 20:1-17
Then God spoke all these words:
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. For six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. –Exodus 1:1-11
What are our other gods? We all have them nipping at our souls, trying to take control of our lives. The first places we probably should explore are the areas of our lives that set our priorities. If we own a business and are cheating our customers to make more money rather then loving them as we love ourselves, we are worshipping the god of greed. If we are manipulating people using emotionally charged causes to gain power over government, we are worshipping the god of lust for power. If we champion religion that recognizes material wealth as a measure of piety, we are worshipping the god of envy. What are our other gods?
All talents and skills are God-given. We have a choice of whether we use them to God’s glory or our own benefit. The irony is that when we glorify God, we glorify ourselves and all of God’s children. When we glorify other gods, we demean God and destroy ourselves in the process. Lent is a great time to take stock of ourselves and get our priorities straight.
Prayer: God of All, forgive us when we turn to lesser gods searching aimlessly for something that will never fulfill our needs. Heal our souls and guide us in using our talents and skills to your glory. Amen.