Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community
In this blog, we'll focus on the working being done at Sligo Presbyterian Church, Sligo, Pennsylvania. We'll also look at what's happening in Sligo, Rimersburg, Clarion, and all the other communities served by our congregation.
Whenever we come to the Bible, we often read looking for instruction and encouragement for the day. But the Bible isn’t meant only to guide us day-by-day. The Scriptures are a historical record. They reveal what God has done and is doing in the world—and introduce us to the people who played a particular role in His plans for the world.
If you’re a longtime reader of the Bible, you’re more than likely familiar with many of these people. Some are examples of faithfulness. Others are cautionary tales against faithlessness. But all were examples of people who furthered God’s plan to give “God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” [John 3:16, CEV]
During this series, we’re discussing the following witnesses to God’s authority and love:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
To Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
Jesus reframes the ten commandments from a list of external rules into matters of the heart. He taught that true righteousness is not merely about avoiding bad actions, but about harboring pure thoughts and actively demonstrating love for God and humanity. During the months of July, August and September, we’ll consider the Ten Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus, focusing on the following topics:
Jesus reframes the ten commandments from a list of external rules into matters of the heart. He taught that true righteousness is not merely about avoiding bad actions, but about harboring pure thoughts and actively demonstrating love for God and humanity. During the months of July, August and September, we're considering the Ten Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus, focusing on the following topics:
Well, here we are. We’ve passed the midpoint in August, which means summer is drawing to a close and school is just about ready to start. And as we all know, once Walmart moves all the unsold notebooks and backpacks and lunch boxes to storage, we can expect to see ceramic pumpkins and witches and ghosts on those exact same shelves.
And since we’re moving through August, we’re also looking at another one of the Ten Commandments through the eyes of Jesus. Now, to this point, we’ve already covered the first four which just so happen to deal with how we can love our Father in heaven, you know, by having no other gods and by not worshiping idols and by not taking God’s name in vain and by keeping the Sabbath holy. And then last week, we started to look at those six commandments that deal with loving others, starting with the importance of honoring our parents. Now that’s what we’ve already covered.
And this morning we’ll turn to commandment number six:
Do not murder. [Exodus 20:13, CEV]
And you know, it’s interesting. After the service last Sunday, as y’all were passing by me and, you know, shaking my hand, a guy said to me something like this, “Well, the sermon next week should be pretty easy and short. (I believe that was a little wishful thinking on his part. Or maybe a not so subtle hint.) All you have to do is say, ‘Don’t murder. Amen.’ I mean, what more can you add to that.” Now that’s in the neighborhood of what he said. And I’ve got to tell you, at the time, I certainly saw his point. I mean, this should be pretty cut and dry, or so I thought. And even though, if followed, obeying it would probably knock 48 Hours and 20/20 and Dateline off the air, people really shouldn’t be running around killing one another. And saying it’s wrong, well, that shouldn’t really take a lot of time. You see, as it stands in Exodus, there really isn’t a lot to say about the Sixth Commandment beyond: Do not murder. [Exodus 20:13, CEV]
But remember, we’re not just looking at these commandments through the eyes of those ancient Jews who watched Moses come down the mountain, we’re looking at them through the eyes of Jesus, the one who fulfilled them and radicalized them and summarized them. And you know, that applies to Commandment Number Six just like it does all the rest.
And so, that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning. You see, we’re going to take a little passage from the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus talked specifically about this particular commandment. And we’re going to break it down a little bit so that we, as Christians, might better understand what that commandment, “Do not murder,” actually means and how it might be applied. And I’ll tell you, when we do, I think there are three things we’re going to need to consider if we’re serious about obeying the Sixth Commandment.
For example, if we’re serious about not murdering, first, I think we must consider the act itself, and I’m talking about what the commandment is telling us not to do. In other words, what exactly is murder? And even though, at first glance, that may seem obvious, trust me, according to the Bible and life in the fast lane, it’s not as easy or universal as it sounds. Of course, regardless of how we define it, based on what he said, Jesus certainly thought murder was wrong. For example, right at the beginning of that passage I mentioned from the Sermon on the Mount, he said,
You know our ancestors were told, “Do not murder” and “A murderer must be brought to trial.” [Matthew 5:21, CEV]
Now, that’s what he said; therefore, I think for Jesus and for us, the line is pretty clear: Murder is wrong and we shouldn’t do it. I mean, dah. And I’ll tell you, the Hebrew and Greek words used here define murder in just about the same thing. Murder is the unauthorized, malicious and unlawful taking of human life; therefore, murder is wrong. It’s wrong personally. It’s wrong socially. It’s wrong spiritually. And the reason it’s so bad, well, for the ancient Jews that was obvious. You see, for them, life was sacred and holy. It was a divine gift. In fact, it was inspired by the Spirit of God. Remember, God breathed life into Adam, and they believed he does the same thing for us. And when we die, that Spirit returns to God. And so to profane something that’s holy and to deny this gift and to violate God’s own Spirit, man, that was wrong on all kinds of levels. And for Jesus, right there was the line.
But you know, when you think about it, defining exactly where it is, well, suddenly the line becomes a little blurry, doesn’t it? For example, although we might all say murder is wrong, we’re also probably going to exclude things like self-defense and war and accidents, right? For us, they don’t involve murder. OK, what about capital punishment or abortion or killing noncombatants in war? Is that murder? And what about deaths that are the result of neglect? Now that’s a tough one. I mean, what if a man dies of starvation when there is food to share or a woman dies of some disease when there are medicines available or a child dies of abuse when that violence could be prevented, does allowing those things to happen violate the sixth commandment? In other words, can intentional ignorance and inaction be murder? I don’t know. What I do know is that these are questions with which we struggle as both individuals and communities. And for that reason, for our sake, I think we need to be willing to talk about them as a community and to express our opinions and to listen to the opinions of others, something I personally believe is only possible in an atmosphere of respect and compassion and honesty. And who knows, if we’re able to pull this off, maybe we’ll all grow in our understanding and awareness. You see, if we’re serious about the Commandment, Do not murder, we really need to consider the act. And that’s one.
But according to Jesus Christ, that’s really not enough, because, second, I think we must also consider the motivation. In other words, we really need to spend a little time thinking about what causes people to commit murder. And as he was teaching his disciples up there on the mountain, right after reminding them that the act of murder is wrong, that’s why he said this:
But I promise you if you are angry with someone, you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell. [Matthew 5:22, CEV]
Now that’s what he said. You see, no matter how you cut it, the motivation behind the act also has to be considered.
And I’ve got to tell you, that’s really radical. I mean, just think about it, to suggest that the reason may be as important as the act itself, that’s really kind of extreme, especially when the motivation involves emotions. Of course, the emotion Jesus focused on was anger, that unfocused passion that can get us into all kinds of trouble. My goodness, if we’re not careful, it can cause us to demean someone’s intelligence, by calling them a fool, or to question someone’s value, by calling them worthless. As a matter of fact, our anger can be so intense that it might lead us to assassinate more than another person’s character. Anger can certainly lead to murder. But that’s not the only emotion that represents a genuine danger, now is it? Good night nurse, I’ve watched enough 48 Hours episodes to know that murder can be motivated by lust and greed, by envy and jealousy, by bitterness and resentment. Let’s get real, there are all kinds of emotions that might lead a person to kill. And that’s really bad.
But I’ll tell you, in my opinion, what makes this even worse is that I’m not sure most emotions are chosen and can be controlled; they just happen. I mean, speaking for myself, I don’t decide to experience the emotions I feel. For example, when I’m driving on 80 and a guy cuts me off, man, I feel a little angry and irritated. And when I hear a colleague talk about all the wonderful things that are happening in his congregation and how they’re growing so fast they don’t have enough space, I feel a little jealous and discouraged. And I can tell you, when I think about my age and that I’m a whole lot closer to the end than the beginning, well, sometimes I just plain feel sad. You see, I don’t think I choose to feel angry or jealous or sad. Given what’s going on around me, those emotions just happen. Of course, the same thing is going on with those positive feelings as well. For example, after a long, hard day, like nearly every Saturday, and I’m dragging myself home, few things make me happier or more content than being greeted into my own home like I’m the most important person in the whole world. And of course, I’m talking about both Coco and Debbie. I’m a lucky guy. You see, whether we like it or not, at best, we have limited control over our emotions, and I’m talking about emotions that always result in some kind of action, including murder. And that’s why, if we’re serious about the Sixth Commandment, I think we must also consider the motivation. That’s two.
But again, for Jesus that’s not all, because for him we’ve also got to consider the remedy and I’m talking about some of the things we can do that just might take the edge off the emotions that motivate destructive acts. You see, after focusing on murder and anger, Jesus said this:
So if you are about to place your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that person, then come back and offer your gift to God.
Before you are dragged into court, make friends with the person who has accused you of doing wrong. If you don't, you will be handed over to the judge and then to the officer who will put you in jail. I promise you will not get out until you have paid the last cent you owe. [Matthew 5:23-26, CEV]
In other words, according to Jesus, although we might not be able to have absolute control over what we feel, we sure as heck can control what we do about it. For example, when we’re feeling the kind of anger that could lead to murder, we really need to take a step back and evaluate the situation openly and fairly before we do something stupid. And if we’re the one who’s mad, we can intentionally decide to make peace before we do something we can’t undo. Of course, how we do it may vary from person to person and situation to situation. But I’ll tell you, take it to the bank, offering some forgiveness is probably going to be involved, whether the person with whom we’re angry knows it or not. You see, the kind of negative emotions we’ve been talking about are generated within ourselves; therefore, the other person may not even know what they’ve done that made us angry or jealous or bitter. For us, making peace may be acknowledging what we feel and then responding with love and compassion. Now that’s what we can do when we’re the one angry.
But if we’re the cause of the anger, I mean, if we’re the reason someone else is angry, or maybe envious or bitter, we can intentionally make friends before something unfortunate happens. Of course, to establish or reestablish a relationship, we might have to correct a conflict we may not think we caused or to apologize for something we might not think we did or to make right a situation in which we really don’t think we were wrong. You see, it may come down to sacrificing a little of ourselves for someone else and surrendering the high ground so that we look at one another eye to eye. Trust me, we really do have the power to make friends and to influence people, but to get there, man, it may take a little intentional humility on our part. I’m telling you, for as important as the act itself and the motivation, if we’re serious about keeping the Sixth Commandment, I believe we must consider the remedy. And that’s three.
Of course, last Sunday, when the person said that this was going to be a short sermon, because “do not murder” is sort of a no brainer, as I remember, I agreed with him. And even though I didn’t expect us to be heading home at about 10:40, because as Debbie and anyone who’s attended one of my studies knows, I can always think of something to say that will fill up twenty minutes or more, I thought the Sixth Commandment was really pretty cut and dry.
But that kind of changed when I looked at these three words through the eyes of Jesus. You see, according to what he taught his disciples during the Sermon on the Mount, if we’re serious about the Sixth Commandment, first, we must consider the act itself, and I’m talking about how we define murder. And second, we must consider the motivation, you know, the emotions that underlie the actions we take. And finally, we must consider the remedy that we can claim right here and now whether we’re the potential perpetrator or victim. Now for me, that’s how we can understand and apply the command, Do not to murder. And next week, we’ll move forward by looking at the Seventh Commandment:
You shall not commit adultery. [Exodus 20:14, NRSVUE]
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