Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Lectionary: 399

In those days:

God delivered all these commandments:

"I, the LORD, am your God,

who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.

You shall not have other gods besides me.

You shall not carve idols for yourselves....

Any one of the Ten Commandments deserves a full sermon, and each one has generated libraries of books! This morning offers us the original Exodus version of the Decalogue; another is found in Deuteronomy.

I think it's important to remember the context of these laws. They were given to runaway slaves. And many of those slaves, given the option, would readily have returned to Egypt. If slavery was oppressive and laborious, it was at least familiar. Whereas the sojourn in the desert was equally oppressive and laborious and not at all familiar.

The Ten Commandments spell Freedom; and the first commandment reminds us, freedom is a jealous God. "You shall not have other gods besides me." Rabbi Joshua Heschel wrote: 

"It is strange that modern students of religion fail to realize the constant necessity for the protest against polytheism. The idea of unity is... still beyond the grasp of most people. Monotheism, to this day, is still at variance with vulgar thinking; it is something against which the popular instinct continues to rebel. Polytheism seems to be more compatible with emotional moods and imagination than uncompromising monotheism, and great poets have often felt drawn to pagan gods. The world over, polytheism exercises an almost hypnotic appeal, stirring up powerful, latent yearnings for pagan forms, for it is obviously easier to worship under polytheistic than under monotheistic thought.

Yet, while popular and even poetic imagination is drawn is fascinated by a vision of ultimate pluralism, metaphysical thought as well as scientific reflection is drawn to the concept of unity.  (Man is not Alone: A philosophy of religion, 1951)

Polytheism attempts to satisfy all the demands of a panoply of insatiable gods, including family, career, church, citizenship, and one's own interests.These gods get their energy from popular anxieties and uncertainties. FOMO is only one of its many forms as otherwise intelligent people immerse themselves in obsessive pursuits. Millions of worried people suffer sleep deprivation as they pursue their dreams of more into the night; when they finally retire they are so wired they suffer insomnia. The entertainment industry -- How many remember when TV stations signed off at midnight? -- feeds on and fuels these anxieties with the promise of relief if you'll only buy our products. 

Created in God's image, we always want more, and we always feel as we need more. More money, more assurance, more strength, more ability, more security, more love. Good enough is never good enough. We should only try harder, work harder, eat less, exercise more, be more available. The gods promise to satisfy our needs if we will only fall down and worship them.  

And they're all infallible. The career goals must be attained; family cannot be ignored; the body must be cared for; rules must be obeyed. No exceptions. No doubts. And when you finally need relief, we can fix that with chemicals -- alcohol, nicotine, barbiturates, methamphetamine, heroin. 

Amid this cacophony, Jesus says, "Come to me, you who labor and are heavy burdened. I will give you rest...."

Unlike the Pharaoh, the Lord cares for his servants. He does not exploit or abuse; his discipline heals and satisfies even as we turn away from lesser gods. He assures us, "Your father knows what you need." 

Perhaps the most wonderful paradox is the Lord's assurance to the hesitant, "I will not take your freedom from you! Those gods will always be there!" As God's free agents we can always return to our slavery. The recovering alcoholic can always drink again; the adulterer will always find sexual partners; the reformed conman never loses his ability to deceive. But these gods destroy their slaves. Theirs is the way of bondage and death. The Lord leads us to freedom, breathtaking, frightening, and beautiful.