His Commandments Are Not Burdensome

Scripture Lessons: Deuteronomy 5: 1-21 and 1st John 5: 1-6 Sermon Title: His Commandments Are Not Burdensome Preached on May 6, 2018 There are some places in this world where I don’t feel 100% comfortable. Where I feel out of place; like I don’t belong. One of those places is Michael’s. I used the restroom in Michael’s and I’ll be it is among the least used men’s rooms in Cobb County. But that wasn’t the first place where I ever felt like I didn’t belong. Right outside Montreat, North Carolina is a place called The Town Pump. Right away you can tell it’s not for everybody. Sit at the bar, and it takes a while before someone takes your order. I was in The Town Pump with a pastor friend from Columbia, South Carolina. Amos Disasa is his name, and he was born in Ethiopia. I said to him, “Amos, I feel like I don’t belong in this place.” He looked around, “Joe, do you see anybody else from Ethiopia in here?” This place, on the other hand. I’ve always felt at home in this place. And that’s the idea. This church isn’t for some and not others. It’s not for some genders and not others. This church isn’t just for locals; it’s a place for everybody because that’s how the grace of God that this place stands on works. No one can earn welcome into God’s house. None of us deserve it, therefore all are welcome. That’s how it’s supposed to be, and that’s how I know so many in the Confirmation Class feel. Many of you were raised here. Maybe you never felt new here because your parents have been bringing you here since before you can remember. And here, you were taught as I was, that God welcomes us with open arms and you don’t have to do anything to earn it. You just have to accept it. But then one day, at the beginning of this school year, you showed up for Confirmation Class and we told you that in order to be a member of this church you had to do a whole bunch of stuff. Bates Clarke asked his Mom about that. “Why is it that you’ve all been telling me that God accepts me as I am, and then all of a sudden, I have to memorize the books of the Bible, write a statement of faith, and go to all these Confirmation classes?” That’s a good question. And I’m glad Bates asked it months ago, so I’d have time to come up with a decent answer by today. He’s right, when you look at it that way I can see how Confirmation would seem like a sudden change. An abrupt shift from free welcome to fine print. It's like when new members join the church and first thing we do is hand them a pledge card. That can feel like an abrupt change of pace – like we’ve invited you for dinner, then handed you the bill. That’s not the intent of course, but it can feel that way. In my mind this shift from “free welcome” to “now come pitch in” is something like the difference between celebrating the 4th of July and Cinco de Mayo. You might not know much about Cinco de Mayo. In this country it is a holiday celebrated mostly by margarita enthusiasts, a majority of whom I have a feeling have no idea what Cinco de Mayo even means. Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that celebrates not Mexican independence from Spain - that’s celebrated on September 16th. What Cinco de Mayo celebrates is what happened after Spain was kicked out and Mexico gained independence. Mexican Independence was defended on May 5th, 1862, when the French who sent a massive army attempting to take over and the fledging nation of Mexico were defeated. I looked all that up on the internet. Now most people aren’t real big on Cinco de Mayo - the 5th of May, but there is beauty, not just in celebrating the gift of independence given by our forbearers. What also matters is celebrating our role in defending it. The Apostle Paul says it well in his letter to the Galatians: “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery,” but we do. Sometimes we take for granted our freedom and forget that even today we have to fight to defend it. We are called – not just to accept this Presbyterian Faith, but to become a part of it. Our scripture lessons makes such a concept plain. From 1st John: “For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” That might sound strange, because so often we think of being able to do whatever you want as freedom, but that’s not really freedom, for those who lie are strangers even unto themselves. There’s a Mark Twain quote on the wall of Mary-Mac’s on Ponce de Leon, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Telling the truth – it’s no burden when compared to the alternative. And in the same way, what could be so heavy a burden as hate? You want to see misery – think of the grimaced faces of the cold hearted. Think of the way withholding forgiveness destroys families. What is required of all of us who follow the Savior who called us to love even our enemies could hardly be called a requirement, for our path is the road to joy. Therefore, while on the one hand, we Presbyterians preach a message of grace. A salvation that comes free, and the love of God that you can’t earn, it is hard to understand a pledge card or the requirements of a Confirmation Class, but like the 10 Commandments, the commandments written down by Moses are intended for us – not as a means to earn anything but as guidance for how to live a joy filled life. “Honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy,” and here is a commandment that is more defiled than any other. We defile it because we don’t believe that our salvation is contingent on our obedience to it, and indeed it is not – instead what is at stake is the condition of our hearts - literally. Think about it - No – God will not strike us down for going into the office on a Sunday; God will not need to, for the 80-hour work week brings with it its own punishment. “His commandments are not burdensome,” especially compared to the weight of sin. And as God did our ancestors, so the Lord calls us now, to live the Christian life and to participate in the work God is doing. In Deuteronomy we read: “The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. Not with our ancestors. But with us who are all of us alive today.” God gives the gift to us, it’s ours, but we can’t just accept the gift – we have to defend what we’ve been given and make it our own. We, who feel at home here, are invited to make others feel welcome so that this church never feels like Michael’s nor the Town Pump, but like the Master’s Table where all are treated like honored guests. For while we all are honored guests at the Master’s Table, too often we are only mindful of our own comfort or discomfort, forgetting what it’s like for the friend sitting next to us. He invites us, but remember, we are also disciples, called to serve, making this faith our own. The knitting you saw out in the Gathering Area – it will go out into the world, because we don’t just receive God’s warmth and welcome, we can give it. Called, equipped, as friends, as Stephen's Ministers - is to be the listening ear after we, ourselves, have been heard. Think of that and know that on the one hand is free grace, on the other is joyful obedience. Neither are burdens. Both are gifts. So, Bates Clarke, Confirmation Class, congregation, Joe Evans, remember that we are not only defined by the gifts we received freely. We are defined also by our response – how we live – what we fight for. And this faith, this church, this is worth fighting for. Amen.