Opening Prayer
Almighty, Speaking God, you
descended in cloud and lightning to declare your covenant to Israel. Inscribe
again your Voice on our heart, in the power of your word and Holy Spirit,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and that same Spirit reigns for
ever, one God. Amen.
At a certain time, a cloud
descended upon Mount Sinai, one of the mountains in the eastern part of the
world— It thundered— it lightened— the earth trembled and shook—
and the Almighty God, the Great Spirit, spoke with an audible voice these
words, and afterwards wrote them on tables of stone:
Exodus 20:1-17
GOD spoke all these words:
I am GOD, your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of a life of slavery.
No other gods, only me.
No carved gods of any size, shape,
or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Don’t
bow down to them and don’t serve them because I am GOD, your God, and I’m a
most jealous God, punishing the children for any sins their parents pass on to
them to the third, and yes, even to the fourth generation of those who hate me.
But I’m unswervingly loyal to the thousands who love me and keep my
commandments.
No using the name of GOD, your God,
in curses or silly banter. GOD won’t put up with the irreverent use of his
name.
Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it
holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a
Sabbath to GOD, your God. Don’t do any work—not you, nor your son, nor your
daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the
foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days GOD made Heaven, Earth,
and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore GOD
blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day.
Honor your father and mother so
that you’ll live a long time in the land that GOD, your God, is giving you.
No murder.
No adultery.
No stealing.
No lies about your neighbor.
No lusting after your neighbor’s
house—or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don’t set your heart on
anything that is your neighbor’s. The Message
“Now you have all broken these
commands, for they were as much designed for you, as for those to whom they
were first given. And the Great Spirit is offended with you for having done the
things you ought not, and having left undone things which you ought to have
done. But he is willing to pardon your sins, and forgive all your
transgressions, if you do sincerely repent.
To assure you of his good will and
kindness to the human race, he has sent his Son from heaven, to seek and save
that which is lost. You are all in a lost and miserable condition, and unless
you repent, you must perish; that is be miserable for ever.
—Rev.
Kahkewaquonaby/Peter Jones (1802-1856) to the Lake Simcoe Ojibwas in 1827, (as
recorded by Rev. Thaddeus Osgood)
practicing
the story
Reflect on this question: How does
repentance get beneath behavior and into the disposition of heart and soul?
Broken behavior is most often symptomatic of a wounded soul.
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