Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Monday, 8 September 2014 "Misusing God's name"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Monday, 8 September 2014 "Misusing God's name"
Daily Scripture:  Exodus 20:7 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. Luke 6:46-47 “Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.
48-49 “If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.”
Reflection Questions:
Generations of children have grown up learning, at home or Sunday School, that the third commandment forbids slang phrases that use the names of God or Jesus. Jesus surely didn’t endorse such careless uses of God’s name. He did make it plain, though, that he found it a far more serious sacrilege for a person to claim to follow Jesus while ignoring God’s plain directions for living a God-pleasing life.
Have you ever been in a community, workplace, school or other setting in which people who vocally claimed to be “Christians” lied, cheated, willfully hurt others or acted immorally? How did that kind of jarring behavior affect the response of non-religious people to those who claim to be Christ-followers? Since we all struggle to live flawless lives, how can we avoid being like the people Jesus described in Luke 6:46?
It may be a secondary issue, but popular dramas and comedians certainly model the use of phrases like "Oh, God" or "Jesus H. Christ" as throwaway, funny expressions. Think about the meaning of the commandment that says, “Do not use the Lord your God’s name as if it were of no significance." Monitor your own speech patterns this week, and seek to use God’s name only in important, reverent ways.
Today's Prayer:
Lord God, when I call you "Lord," I want to mean it seriously, to shape my life based on your lordship. Guide me in all my choices, of words and actions, to truly make you my Lord. Amen

Insight from Chris Holliday

Rev. Chris Holliday serves as the associate minister at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection West.

In the movie Sister Act, Whoopi Goldberg plays Deloris Van Carter–a lounge singer who has dreams of making it big in the entertainment industry. Delores performs at a club in Reno owned by Vince, her Mafia boss boyfriend. After Deloris accidentally sees Vince commit a murder, she goes to the authorities and is placed in a witness protection program. Delores is sent to San Francisco, disguised as a nun named Sister Mary Clarence, and placed in a convent.

Several of the other nuns are fascinated by Sister Mary Clarence. They are excited to learn about her unconventional ideas and traditions. Eventually Sister Mary Clarence is put in charge of the choir, and the group quickly becomes a swinging, swaying, singing sensation.

During her time with the nuns, Sister Mary Clarence is transformed. She discovers her own self-worth through the love shown to her by the sisters. She also learns that her talents, actions, and words can have a profound effect on those around her and beyond. Eventually, Sister Mary Clarence helps the nuns see that the community’s diversity of race, background, occupation, political views and social-economic levels should not stand in the way of reaching out with love to all those beyond their convent walls and gates; for all are precious children of God. Through this process, Delores learns that following the loving, caring example of Jesus is what is truly most important. In other words, she learns to build her house upon the teachings and love of Jesus Christ, the most solid rock of all.

Click here to see a scene, to the tune of “Just a Touch of Love,” in which we see the difference this revelation makes in Delores, in the convent and in the community around them. Enjoy!
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