Make-Up:
We ask you to read the material below. The material will include "deep thought", our key words (definition), scripture (link - please read) and some general thoughts and video(s). We ask you to read all material and then comment in the comments section. Share one key thought or concept that came to you and how it will make a difference.
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On Sunday, February 6th, we looked at the 9th and 10th Commandments. This was our final lesson in our confirmation series. Below, you will see the overarching theme, a movie clip that we watched (with background information) and my message.
Bible Text:
Matthew 6:19–21
Lesson Focus:
We honor God when we are content with what we have and help others keep what they have.
Big Question:
Other people have so much more; how am I supposed to be grateful for what I have?
Key Words:
CONTENTMENT, COOPERATION, ALTRUISM, BENEVOLENCE
Definition of Key Words
CONTENTMENT: an inner sense of calm and peace. This is not to be confused with everything being perfect.
COOPERATION: working together toward a common aim.
ALTRUISM: doing something for the good of the other without regard to recognition or gain.
BENEVOLENCE: an act of kindness or generosity.
Movie Clip (Based on Scripture)
Scene Setup:
Tangled is a Disney remake of the children's story, Rapunzel--about a princess who is locked away in a tower by an evil woman posing as her mother, who kept her hidden from society and unaware of her true identity. On her 18th birthday, Rapunzel wants to escape the tower to pursue a lifelong dream. She accomplishes this with the help of a thief, Flynn Rider.
In this scene Flynn has yet to meet Rapunzel. He has stolen a jeweled crown from the palace and is now being pursued by palace guards—one riding the proud horse, Maximus. In the pursuit, Flynn knocks the guard off Maximus and tries to escape on the horse. Maximus is unwilling to help the thief and attempts to retrieve the stolen crown. Flynn however, will not relent.
Application:
Each of the two characters in this scene are pursuing something they want. Maximus wants to gain back the crown for the king, while Flynn selfishly wants the stolen crown for himself. One motive is noble while the other is a criminal offense.
When the pair reaches the cliff, the prize they both seek becomes precariously
perched in a dangerous situation. Neither Flynn nor Maximus weigh out the consequences of pursuing the prize. They both just go after it until it is too late and the branch breaks, plunging them to the depths below.Was it worth the price of a crown to potentially lose their lives?
We often chase after things in our own lives that are similar. There are times that our goals—the prize we chase—seem worthwhile, and valuable, and we won't let anything stop us from reaching it. Other times our goals are less noble, and may be purely selfish ambitions. Either way, pursuing something "no matter what the cost" may prove unwise.
Selfish ambitions often end in regrettable situations, as can noble pursuits. Decisions may seem wise at the time, only to leave us out on a limb in the end. There is only one crown in life that we want to pursue no matter what: The crown of life and being a disciple of Christ. Even then, Jesus tells us to count the cost.
The Message
In the First Commandment we encountered a demand from God that reveals our sin as not fearing, loving, and trusting God above everything else. In the Commandments that follow, God puts limits on our sinful actions and calls us into a life in which we love the Lord and our neighbors. If we think we've escaped God's judgment because we haven't broken the other Commandments, the Ninth and Tenth Commandments focus on those who typically think they're pretty good people.
In these last two Commandments, as with the others, God deals with our sinful will. While many traditions speak about free will, Lutherans have argued instead that, as sinful creatures, human beings have a bound will. This means that, while God gives us a will, in our sinfulness we're unable to find or heed the boundaries God establishes. We have an unbounded desire that doesn't recognize God's limits and that keeps putting ourselves at the center of all things. Luther called it a bound will because we just can't help it.
In the Large Catechism, Luther writes that when we think too highly of ourselves, we tend to let loose of our desires and will so that they get out of hand. If we can't see God in front of us, we begin to look for other powers we can trust. That usually comes down to us. So we make ourselves the center of our own universe, and we think our will and desires are the most important.
When we think the world revolves around us, we think of others in terms of what use they can be for us. How can someone else serve me? Why do others who deserve it less have what I should have? Mine! It should all be mine! Thus, while the First Commandment defines sin, the Ninth and Tenth Commandments show how our sinful actions develop out of our basic inability and unwillingness to trust God.
Wherever our sin gets loose in the world, our neighbor stands a good chance of being hurt. That's because by keeping ourselves at the center of things, we see others as less, as tools for us to use to get ahead. Envy creeps in. Keeping up with others becomes our goal. If we insist upon keeping ourselves at the center of our attention, we simply won't care about what our desires mean for others.
So in these Commandments God demands that we regard our neighbors as valuable fellow creatures whose relationships, bodies, lives, safety, reputation, and possessions are equally important to God.
Those who obey the Ninth and Tenth Commandments will keep in check their own desires for others' possessions, relationships, and status. That means they don't scheme and plot ways to get what others have, whether it's clothes, vehicles, the latest electronic gadget, or even their good name. Consequently, they begin to put the needs of their neighbors first.
Beyond this, God calls us to go the extra mile. Jesus tells his followers that if someone wants their coat, they should give that person their shirt too. We should do good even to our enemies and pray for those who want to hurt us (Luke 6:29). We are to watch out for others' needs: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the imprisoned. And in all of life and with all people, we are called to help others keep what's theirs.
That's hard to do when the devil, the world, and our sinful selves are telling us things like, "First come, first served" and "Take care of yourself." The only way to do it is by realizing how little you really deserve from God, which is a very hard word to hear in today's culture.
After Martin Luther died in 1546, his friends found a scrap of paper in his pocket on which he had scribbled a few words: "We are beggars. This is true." He meant that even though God brings our daily bread to us in so many ways each day, we know that sinners like us don't deserve a bit of it. In truth, deserving has nothing to do with it. Certainly we don't deserve God becoming human in Jesus and then dying for our salvation.
But when we learn how much Christ does for us, it creates what Psalm 51 calls "a clean heart." We can relinquish our hold on the center of the universe. Our unbounded desires will focus on faithfulness in an unbounded service to our neighbor and an undying praise of God. When the fullness of God's mercy hits beggars head-on, even they have something to share.
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