10 Glimpses into God's Heart (ADVENT-URE 6: The 10 Commandments)

Jesus teaches us how to walk in the ways of God.  The 10 Commandments show us how God desires for us to behave, in a manner that pleases Him.  However, in our own strength, we cannot keep God's Law; that's why we need a Savior, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.  Jesus Himself said in
Matthew 5:
17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The good news is that the the grace of God has come, and God has given us His Spirit, so that we can live in His power and walk in His ways.  Because of Jesus and the New Covenant, we are no longer under Law, but under grace, according to the Scriptures.  So, as recipients of that grace, we can learn to walk in it and appropriate it so that we might live in obedience.  

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Today, I want to continue this year's edition of 25, the Advent-ure series of Advent devotionals, reflecting on symbols of the coming of Christ.  And, today, Day 6, it's the 10 Commandments, commonly symbolized by the writings of God's Law on stone tablets.   In Exodus 20, we find them listed.  Moses had ascended on Mount Sinai to meet with God and there was a powerful demonstration of His presence, which the people saw.  Chapter 20 begins by saying:
1 And God spoke all these words, saying:
2 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

We need God's principles to guide us - the 10 Commandments give us the insight into what pleases God and what does not.  But, there is a problem with humanity...we can't keep God's Commandments, so we need a Savior; that's why Jesus came.

He has come to relieve the frustration of failure to give us the freedom of faith.

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I'm sure you've seen it - the iconic television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas.  I want to concentrate on a couple of elements of that presentation here.

There's the scene where Charlie Brown comes to Lucy's makeshift "psychiatric help," you know, the one where the doctor is either "in" or "real in."  Charlie Brown is seeking relief from the discouragement he faced at the Christmas season.  Well, a pastor in New York City has set up a similar type of booth in front of his church. According to the website, Metro.com, Pastor Gregory Fryer of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New York City is there on the sidewalk for two hours every Tuesday morning starting at 7:30. He is quoted as saying, "The idea of a pastor being available on the street, with a stool there for somebody to sit down on, that just seemed right."

The article goes on to say:

The people who approach him “reflect the demographics of the sidewalk,” including Christians, Jews, some who haven’t been to church for years. He gets all kinds of requests, large and small. A young woman asked for prayers to ward off a cold; another on her way to a job interview wanted a little extra goodwill. Once, a well-dressed businesswoman sat down and burst into tears. “She said, ‘I’m worried about my grandmother down in Florida, could you pray for her?’ And I do,” said Fryer, who also offers Bible stories that might help his solace-seekers. “And I’ve learned to have a box of tissues there.”

As for the 5-cent charge, there's a plate of nickels there, as are coffee and pastries inside the church.

Now, at the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas, there is the memorable scene in which Charlie Brown asks what Christmas is all about and Linus recites from the 2nd chapter of Luke.  And, there is a version of children telling the Christmas story that has gone viral on the Internet.  This is from Southland Christian Church in Lexington, KY.  The concept is that you have adult actors portraying the Biblical characters while the children recite the lines, according to a piece on the Lexington Herald-Leader website, Kentucky.com, which says that the video from last Christmas Eve had received almost 24 million views and had been shared more than 618,000 times on Facebook by this past Saturday night.

Some of the notable elements: the baby Jesus was born in “Bethle-ha-ha-ham.” The shepherds camped out in a tent on their way to visit the Christ child. The article also reports:

Mary sweetly tells the new baby, “Thank you for coming,” while Joseph looks down at him and says, “I love you and you the best baby I ever seen. There, I said it.”

Also:

The wise men bring gold, “Frankenstein” and myrrh. Or, in an alternate telling, Jesus gets a stuffed animal, diapers, wipes and a gallon of milk. One kid surmises that the baby also received “some shoes, some Jordans.”

The story of Christmas can be related in creative and memorable ways.  And, the truth remains the same - God sent His Son so that we might be reconciled to Himself.  The 10 Commandments are a reminder to us of the heart of God, the ways of God, but we realize that in our own humanity, we can't keep them.  We need a Savior, who came not to abolish those Commandments, but to fulfill them.   Jesus teaches us that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves.  That teaching is a summarization of the 10 Commandments, the first 4 of which address our relationship with God - the vertical, and the other 6 addressing how we treat others - the horizontal.

The writing of God's commands on stone tablets can also symbolize for us how God wants to write His law on our hearts - stony before regenerated by Christ, but soft as we open ourselves up to the presence of Jesus.  He wants us to know His truth and follow in His ways, and we realize that can only be done in the power of the Spirit.  And, when we miss the mark, we have forgiveness that has been made available through Him.

Finally, the 10 Commandments are yet another way that God has communicated to His people.  His message is clear:  He created human beings for fellowship with Him.  As we walk in relationship with Him, we reflect His glory to the world around us.  In our obedience to Him, we show the world a better way.