"For the Love of Christ" First Presbyterian Church 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. To us the commandment was about not swearing, not attaching God's name or Jesus' name to some careless outburst. At least not within 100 feet of a parent, teacher, or other adult. Get caught and it was big trouble. Later we came to learn that the commandment was also about not using God's name thoughtlessly, or lightly -- not tossing God's name around as if didn't matter, because God's name deserved reverence. Just as manners need to be taught, so reverence needed to be taught. In this way, the 3rd commandment was especially for children. The Bible didn't say that, but a lot of us heard it that way. But in fact there could not be a scripture more geared for adults. Because our language matters. Our words make a difference. The Letter of James in the New Testament is harsh, but it's true: how great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. Which is what the 3rd commandment is teaching us: Prevention. Not using words in a way where our meaning can get out of hand. Start with a reverent use of God's name, it's saying. Start with the negative -- very easy to remember: don't misuse the name of God. It's an insight James has. That as a rudder is to a ship, so language is to how we live, how we navigate our lives. Like a bit in the mouth of a horse, our care with words keeps us on track, keeps us from veering off our path. It's true for me. Not that God hovers, waiting to see what will happen when you or I stub our toe, what choice words will come flying out of our mouths. But I do notice that the ones that come flying out of mine don't necessarily make me feel any better. Walking it off helps. An ice pack helps. Speaking in tongues can help. But not using the name of my God! After all, I don't use the names of people I love when I hit my finger with a hammer. I don't use my wife's name in vain, or my Mom's name. Why then do I use God's holy name in these times of anger -- or the name of Jesus, of all people the one who has put a good path in front of me? Is it my need to blame someone else when something goes wrong for me? God, you made the hammer slip off that nail and onto my thumb -- it's all your fault! Silly, but the inner child tends to come out at times like this. Or is it a sense of entitlement, that since I'm an adult I can say what I want and no one will wash my mouth out with soap? Or is using God's name in such a way how I put thoughts and feelings into a kind of bold face type? Is it a way of getting attention? We've all known people who use profanity, who sprinkle their speech with it like salt and pepper. We've also known people who are profane in their speech and tender in their hearts, individuals who mask sensitive and caring interiors with gruff and coarse exteriors. But for ourselves we can be thoughtful about our language, what we choose to say and what we choose to keep from saying. With all the words we use in a day it can be a real challenge! Actor Kevin Burke has a one-man show called "defending the caveman" in which, among other things, he explains the disparity between men and women. "Did you know that men generally speak about 2,000 words a day and women 7,000?" Burke asks. "Men bond and communicate by sharing long periods of silence and occasional name-calling, whereas women bond by gossiping, processing things and sharing emotional insights. That explains why men are never able to tell women details about their night out with the guys - they don't talk." We're different, men and women, but we're all made to talk -- some more, some less. The Bible begins and God said; most of us begin our lives the same way. We're created to express ourselves. Stated in the negative -- don't misuse God's name -- the 3rd commandment is actually profoundly positive and freeing: Make full use of the wealth of words you have, God is saying! Enjoy all the inflections of your unique voice, Use your body -- hands and arms and face -- to get across what you want to say. But save God's holy name for praise and prayer. Because there is power in that name! And because we're weak, and sometimes desperate, if we need to use God's name in a cry of pain from our hearts, that is a profoundly acceptable thing. At such times, we're not breaking the commandment, we're keeping it! We're bringing ourselves, all of ourselves, before the throne of the Almighty. Then the most simple prayer is the most honest prayer: "God, help me!" From his cross Jesus made the Psalm his own, and in doing so opened the door for his followers to pour their hearts out without fear, without inhibition: It continues; Jesus of course knew every word of the psalm by heart: Yet in pouring out his heart, as David had, as God's people had in their seasons of doubt and distress, Jesus was also remembering. What is prayer but remembering God's grace and power: power in the lives of believers throughout history, grace in the lives of the people we have known whose faith and courage have shaped us and inspired us, grace and power in the life of Christ, which he gives to all who follow him. Really the commandment is all about permission. Call upon me! says our God. Use words from your heart! Don't hold back. Speak -- then be still, and remember, I will keep your life. I will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore. With this permission comes a commission. Our words, our use of our language, our way of listening, our way of praying and living prayerfully -- they have an effect on others. People need people of faith! Our words matter -- in the ways we share what we believe, in the ways we show whom we trust. By our honesty and sincerity and kindness -- the words we choose to say what we mean, however imperfect our words may seem, and they almost always do -- we confess our faith. We're witnessing all the time, most often when we're the least aware. Amen.
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