Notice how today’s first reading included the Ten Commandments. Those familiar with the Book of Common Prayer may remember that the Commandments could be included regularly at the beginning of the Holy Communion service. In this rite, each commandment is read, and the congregation responds “Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.” In a tradition where we acknowledge how we worship proclaims what we believe and informs our living, including the commandments in the liturgy is meant to offer a regular invitation to reflect on how we embody our faith. To what extent do we keep these laws throughout our days?
To what extent do we keep these laws? I suspect most of us feel confident about our ability to live the Ten Commandments. We are not conditioned to think too deeply about what they say. So, if we haven’t murdered anyone, or stolen anything, or gotten too petty with friends or neighbours, we see ourselves as doing the right thing. We’re safe, so to speak and don’t think about it much anymore.
We don’t really have to think about it much. We don’t often read the Ten Commandments during worship anymore. Even those who use the Book of Common Prayer tend to default to the alternative – the Great Commandment as we did today, which is, of course, equally important. In fact, it could be argued that the Great Commandment precludes the Ten Commandments, in that, those who truly love God and love neighbour are more likely to fully embody the big Ten.
Perhaps this is why a version of this Great Commandment is included in our Baptismal Covenant as we are asked: will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbour as yourself?
Notice, the preface to loving our neighbour? We are called to seek and serve Christ in all persons. This phrasing tells us who our neighbours are and how we are called to see them.
What happens when we think deeply about this phrasing? What does it look like to seek and serve Christ in all persons? To what extent do people of faith see Christ in the refugee, the addict, the prisoner, the people in Gaza, the Ukraine, the Sudan, and all other places where war is causing death? How have we recognised Christ in people like Nex Benedict an non-binary student who was beaten in a bathroom at school, wasn’t taken to hospital by school staff, and later died of their injuries and yet, so far, there has been no justice? How many other neighbours do we know of who are struggling under the weight of injustice, environmental degradation, prejudice, and racialization? How do we seek and serve Christ in these individuals?
Of course, you will say to me, we have no power to stop war, or impact what happens in an Oklahoma High School. We shouldn’t be held accountable for injustices that are beyond our control. And this is true. So then, the question we must continually ask is: what can we do? How can we support those who need it most? How can we continually seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbour as ourselves?
Notice the first part of that statement ‘seek’. It starts by intentionally seeking out those who are a part of our family because they are part of Jesus’ family. It starts by being open to meeting those on the margins, listening to their stories, and discovering ways in which we can offer mutual support. Think about the difference people like John and Sandi have made in this congregation. Think about how special it is to have WECAP feel so included and affirmed in this space. Think about all those who have benefited from the clothing cupboard and other donations we have made. Think about how these relationships have changed us.
Therein lies the real point of the Great Commandment. By taking the list of ‘don’ts’ from the Ten Commandments and transforming it into the big ‘DO’ of the Great Commandment, the way of life becomes focused on how we nurture relationships – with God, and with our neighbours. It is a difference between ‘avoid doing these things’ and ‘love these people’. When we truly love another person, we wouldn’t want them to have those negative experiences that would result from someone breaking the Ten Commandments. Through the Great Commandment, we create spaces where good happens and our hearts are transformed!
In living the Great Commandment, we, and the world, can be transformed by love. May we continually seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbour as ourselves. This we pray as we sing: (VT) 36 Let us Build a House
