WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.123 --> 00:00:01.923 Please be seated. 2 00:00:07.223 --> 00:00:08.523 In the name of Jesus. 3 00:00:09.523 --> 00:00:10.023 Amen. 4 00:00:12.323 --> 00:00:14.723 If you get the first commandment, right 5 00:00:16.023 --> 00:00:18.223 the rest will follow. 6 00:00:19.623 --> 00:00:22.423 That's Luther and I think that's right. 7 00:00:24.223 --> 00:00:29.823 Which means the rest of the Commandments 2 through 10 are really 8 00:00:30.523 --> 00:00:35.723 concrete and specific manifestations of the first commandment. 9 00:00:37.123 --> 00:00:41.723 We just read the first three together this morning, and I thought it 10 00:00:41.723 --> 00:00:46.923 might be a good idea on this last day of the first week of this school 11 00:00:46.923 --> 00:00:47.123 year. 12 00:00:47.123 --> 00:00:49.923 I thought it might be a good idea for us to spend a little time 13 00:00:49.923 --> 00:00:54.523 reflecting on the second commandment, which if you follow my logic 14 00:00:54.523 --> 00:01:00.323 that I just mentioned, is really the first way in which we fear, love, 15 00:01:00.923 --> 00:01:01.923 and trust in God 16 00:01:01.923 --> 00:01:03.323 above all things. 17 00:01:05.923 --> 00:01:12.223 So the second commandment, you shall not misuse the name of the Lord, 18 00:01:12.423 --> 00:01:13.423 your God. 19 00:01:16.523 --> 00:01:20.523 Like many of you I learned that commandment from a very early age. 20 00:01:20.523 --> 00:01:21.623 I learned it from my parents. 21 00:01:21.623 --> 00:01:25.423 I learned it from Sunday School and I learned Luther's explanation 22 00:01:25.823 --> 00:01:26.723 that we just read. 23 00:01:28.123 --> 00:01:29.323 But I've got to be honest. 24 00:01:29.923 --> 00:01:34.223 I was never really tempted as a child to use satanic arts. 25 00:01:37.523 --> 00:01:39.623 They told me not to play with the Ouija board 26 00:01:39.623 --> 00:01:43.623 and so I didn't. I didn't even listen to Led Zeppelin's Stairway to 27 00:01:43.623 --> 00:01:44.723 Heaven backwards. 28 00:01:48.623 --> 00:01:52.523 Curse people by God's name, that never seemed necessary. 29 00:01:54.223 --> 00:01:57.623 I'm not sure as a child, if I even could have thought of how I would 30 00:01:57.623 --> 00:02:00.823 deceive someone by God's name. 31 00:02:02.823 --> 00:02:07.523 I remember a Sunday school teacher saying that we were talking about 32 00:02:07.523 --> 00:02:08.623 the second commandment. 33 00:02:08.923 --> 00:02:12.923 You can say, oh my gosh, but not 34 00:02:13.323 --> 00:02:14.423 Oh my God. 35 00:02:16.923 --> 00:02:18.723 That was before, OMG was a thing. 36 00:02:20.223 --> 00:02:21.923 I'm not sure what she did done with that. 37 00:02:23.823 --> 00:02:31.823 But this is all to say, as a child, the second commandment didn't 38 00:02:31.823 --> 00:02:33.523 really seem that hard to follow. 39 00:02:34.523 --> 00:02:38.423 I simply said, oh my goodness, and then I would move on to try and not 40 00:02:38.423 --> 00:02:39.423 despise preaching. 41 00:02:42.723 --> 00:02:46.123 Now Luther though had probably some pretty good reasons for the way 42 00:02:46.123 --> 00:02:47.723 he wrote that explanation. 43 00:02:48.023 --> 00:02:51.823 There were some people in his day, who had the long-held belief that 44 00:02:51.823 --> 00:02:53.123 goes all the way back to the Old Testament. 45 00:02:53.123 --> 00:02:57.423 That if you had the name of a god, you could harness its power and you 46 00:02:57.423 --> 00:03:02.323 can manipulate God's power by using his name to do evil things in 47 00:03:02.323 --> 00:03:03.323 people's lives. 48 00:03:05.523 --> 00:03:10.523 And then Luther was also concerned about the false teaching, people 49 00:03:10.523 --> 00:03:13.723 teaching false things in the name of God. 50 00:03:14.323 --> 00:03:17.323 And so those you understand why Luther put the explanation the way he 51 00:03:17.323 --> 00:03:17.823 did. 52 00:03:19.223 --> 00:03:19.523 I don't know. 53 00:03:19.523 --> 00:03:20.323 I don't think. 54 00:03:21.723 --> 00:03:23.223 I'm not convinced in this room. 55 00:03:23.223 --> 00:03:28.423 At least many of us are tempted to do witchcraft. You guys and 56 00:03:28.423 --> 00:03:30.223 isolation aren't doing any witchcraft 57 00:03:30.223 --> 00:03:30.523 are you? 58 00:03:33.823 --> 00:03:37.623 And while there's still plenty of false teachers out there. 59 00:03:38.423 --> 00:03:39.623 Well, none of them teach here. 60 00:03:40.823 --> 00:03:47.723 So I don't find the first half of Luther's explanation to the second 61 00:03:47.723 --> 00:03:48.623 commandment. 62 00:03:49.223 --> 00:03:52.223 All that pressing are all that frankly helpful for me today. 63 00:03:52.423 --> 00:03:54.523 And so I've been thinking the last week or so. 64 00:03:54.723 --> 00:03:58.023 Well, what am I tempted to do 65 00:03:58.023 --> 00:03:59.423 according to this commandment? 66 00:03:59.423 --> 00:04:03.623 How am I tempted to misuse the name of the Lord 67 00:04:03.823 --> 00:04:04.823 my God? 68 00:04:05.723 --> 00:04:08.423 Now, I'm sure there's all sorts of ways that were tempted to do this 69 00:04:08.423 --> 00:04:10.423 and I'm not going to talk about, but I've come up. 70 00:04:10.623 --> 00:04:11.323 with one. 71 00:04:12.923 --> 00:04:14.023 And I think it fits. 72 00:04:16.623 --> 00:04:21.223 I think I'm tempted to misuse the name of the Lord, my God, by the 73 00:04:21.223 --> 00:04:24.423 way, I use and esteem 74 00:04:26.023 --> 00:04:27.123 my own name. 75 00:04:31.623 --> 00:04:32.823 Back to my childhood. 76 00:04:34.323 --> 00:04:35.923 I remember getting a thrill. 77 00:04:37.123 --> 00:04:39.123 A thrill I never expressed myself much. 78 00:04:39.123 --> 00:04:43.823 I kept it inside, but I got a thrill when I saw my name in print. 79 00:04:45.523 --> 00:04:46.423 Now, it didn't happen 80 00:04:46.423 --> 00:04:47.223 very often. 81 00:04:47.723 --> 00:04:51.423 In fact, the only time I can remember, my name appearing in print was 82 00:04:51.423 --> 00:04:55.223 in the bulletin at church on Sundays when I was an acolyte. 83 00:04:56.023 --> 00:04:59.923 And so I would go to church a little early and I go back to the Sacristy 84 00:04:59.923 --> 00:05:02.823 and I put my robe on and I would they always had a bullet in there 85 00:05:02.823 --> 00:05:05.423 sitting for the Acolyte and I would fly through the bulletin 86 00:05:05.423 --> 00:05:08.523 I get to the back where it said, servants in worship, and I would 87 00:05:08.523 --> 00:05:13.323 scroll down and I would see Acolyte and I will go across and there it 88 00:05:13.323 --> 00:05:13.923 was. 89 00:05:14.823 --> 00:05:17.023 Peter Nafzger. 90 00:05:18.923 --> 00:05:25.423 I was published. Avery 91 00:05:25.423 --> 00:05:28.623 I did notice there was a little bit of a spring in your step this 92 00:05:28.623 --> 00:05:29.123 morning. 93 00:05:35.323 --> 00:05:39.023 Now, I don't know what it was, you know, a little bit of pride, a 94 00:05:39.023 --> 00:05:45.623 little bit of sense of belonging, maybe a sense that I had a purpose 95 00:05:45.623 --> 00:05:48.723 and that I was important and I had something to contribute, but 96 00:05:48.723 --> 00:05:50.823 whatever it was, that gave me that little thrill. 97 00:05:52.523 --> 00:05:53.323 I liked it. 98 00:05:55.923 --> 00:06:04.423 I liked seeing my name in print, and I liked knowing that other 99 00:06:04.423 --> 00:06:05.123 people 100 00:06:06.423 --> 00:06:09.623 saw my name in print. 101 00:06:14.423 --> 00:06:16.123 Your name has been in print recently. 102 00:06:17.123 --> 00:06:22.923 Most of you at least class rosters, registration materials, 103 00:06:24.123 --> 00:06:25.923 orientation packets, 104 00:06:26.123 --> 00:06:27.823 servant event bags. 105 00:06:28.223 --> 00:06:33.223 Some of you even got your name in those fancy inauguration bulletins 106 00:06:33.523 --> 00:06:39.123 with titles and degrees and all sorts of really cool stuff behind 107 00:06:39.123 --> 00:06:39.423 them. 108 00:06:41.623 --> 00:06:42.423 I wonder 109 00:06:43.723 --> 00:06:45.823 if we knew saw your name. 110 00:06:48.523 --> 00:06:51.223 If there was a little bit of that inside of you, too. 111 00:06:53.823 --> 00:06:57.923 I wonder if seeing your name in print positively portrayed. 112 00:07:00.423 --> 00:07:04.023 Puffs you up just a little bit too. 113 00:07:07.123 --> 00:07:08.723 We care about our names. 114 00:07:09.723 --> 00:07:12.923 We care that they're pronounced properly, that they're spelled 115 00:07:12.923 --> 00:07:13.723 properly. 116 00:07:13.923 --> 00:07:18.023 We care that when people think of our names, they think of honorable 117 00:07:18.023 --> 00:07:19.123 characteristics. 118 00:07:19.123 --> 00:07:23.323 We want people to see our names and we want them to think well of us. 119 00:07:24.023 --> 00:07:29.623 A good name is important and that's biblical Proverbs 22 verse 1. 120 00:07:29.723 --> 00:07:33.523 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. 121 00:07:33.823 --> 00:07:34.023 There 122 00:07:34.023 --> 00:07:34.623 you have it. 123 00:07:35.523 --> 00:07:36.523 A good name. 124 00:07:37.523 --> 00:07:40.523 It's better than riches better than even great riches. 125 00:07:40.623 --> 00:07:43.423 A good name is a gift from God. 126 00:07:48.123 --> 00:07:49.323 And there's the rub. 127 00:07:51.723 --> 00:07:54.323 It's the greatest gifts of God 128 00:07:56.023 --> 00:07:58.423 that are the most likely candidates 129 00:08:00.523 --> 00:08:02.923 for our idolatry. 130 00:08:09.123 --> 00:08:12.523 How are we tempted to misuse the name of the Lord 131 00:08:12.523 --> 00:08:19.923 our God, maybe it's when we're tempted to think that our name is more 132 00:08:19.923 --> 00:08:21.023 important 133 00:08:22.223 --> 00:08:23.223 then his. 134 00:08:26.123 --> 00:08:31.023 Speaking of God's name, you know, the remarkable thing about the 135 00:08:31.023 --> 00:08:36.923 second commandment is that it's even possible to misuse God's name. 136 00:08:38.923 --> 00:08:42.323 Think about it, the God of the universe, the one who created all 137 00:08:42.323 --> 00:08:48.123 things visible and invisible, who was, and is and is to come, it's 138 00:08:48.123 --> 00:08:51.023 only possible to misuse his name. 139 00:08:51.123 --> 00:08:54.623 If he has made his name available to be used 140 00:08:57.523 --> 00:08:58.623 and he has. 141 00:09:00.223 --> 00:09:05.423 Exodus chapter 3, God has heard the cries of his people. 142 00:09:05.623 --> 00:09:09.923 He has heard the sufferings and the prayers of the children of Israel 143 00:09:09.923 --> 00:09:14.423 in Egypt and he has decided to come and deliver them and so he comes 144 00:09:14.423 --> 00:09:19.123 to Moses and he shows up in the burning bush and he says, Moses go 145 00:09:19.123 --> 00:09:19.623 deliver 146 00:09:19.623 --> 00:09:25.523 my people and Moses bold Moses says, well, what's your name? 147 00:09:27.523 --> 00:09:29.623 Who should I tell them has sent me? 148 00:09:32.323 --> 00:09:33.423 Yahweh. 149 00:09:35.323 --> 00:09:38.723 Tell them Yahweh has sent 150 00:09:38.723 --> 00:09:44.523 you. Tell them Yahweh is going to deliver them. 151 00:09:45.323 --> 00:09:47.023 Tell them my name 152 00:09:47.023 --> 00:09:54.723 God said and tell them to watch as I deliver them from slavery. 153 00:09:56.223 --> 00:09:57.723 Do you see what's happening here? 154 00:09:57.823 --> 00:10:01.723 God's name and God's work of salvation 155 00:10:04.023 --> 00:10:05.023 go hand-in-hand. 156 00:10:09.323 --> 00:10:13.423 It happened in the land of Egypt and it happened even more 157 00:10:13.423 --> 00:10:16.523 so in the land of Judah. 158 00:10:18.923 --> 00:10:23.023 You shall call his name, Jesus. 159 00:10:25.023 --> 00:10:30.523 The angel said to Joseph for, he will save his people from their sins. 160 00:10:30.823 --> 00:10:32.023 Jesus. 161 00:10:34.023 --> 00:10:37.123 You will call him the name that is above every name. 162 00:10:37.923 --> 00:10:40.623 The name by which we must be saved. 163 00:10:40.623 --> 00:10:45.223 You will call him the name who forgives and not just the people of 164 00:10:45.223 --> 00:10:45.623 Israel. 165 00:10:45.623 --> 00:10:48.823 Not just the children of Israel through his death 166 00:10:48.823 --> 00:10:50.223 and through his resurrection. 167 00:10:50.323 --> 00:10:55.723 He will open the doors to all people so that all will call on his 168 00:10:55.723 --> 00:10:56.323 name. 169 00:10:56.423 --> 00:10:58.623 So that all may believe in his name. 170 00:10:58.623 --> 00:11:01.123 A what a, what a wonderful name. 171 00:11:01.423 --> 00:11:02.623 What a beautiful 172 00:11:02.823 --> 00:11:09.023 powerful name of Jesus, a name that has no rivals and no equals. 173 00:11:10.123 --> 00:11:12.923 At his name, every 174 00:11:14.223 --> 00:11:19.223 tongue will confess every knee shall bow. 175 00:11:21.023 --> 00:11:23.023 And this name, Jesus 176 00:11:24.423 --> 00:11:28.923 God has put on you. 177 00:11:37.423 --> 00:11:43.923 There's a tradition in some Catholic and Anglican diocese. 178 00:11:45.123 --> 00:11:50.323 That when you get confirmed, you choose an extra name. 179 00:11:51.423 --> 00:11:53.923 They call it a confirmation name. 180 00:11:54.823 --> 00:11:57.823 And so the idea is that during the course of your confirmation 181 00:11:57.823 --> 00:12:02.223 studies, you'll learn and research things about Saints. 182 00:12:02.223 --> 00:12:06.123 It's usually a name of a saint that you'd take a saint's name and the 183 00:12:06.123 --> 00:12:10.023 idea is that you're supposed to choose a name that you want to 184 00:12:10.023 --> 00:12:10.723 emulate 185 00:12:11.723 --> 00:12:13.923 or that you want to help you. 186 00:12:15.823 --> 00:12:20.123 And then for those who are serious about it for those who work at it, 187 00:12:20.323 --> 00:12:23.523 they select the name of a saint and then they add it to their name. 188 00:12:23.723 --> 00:12:25.923 And so if they've already got a middle name, they'll take a second 189 00:12:25.923 --> 00:12:26.523 middle name. 190 00:12:26.923 --> 00:12:31.423 Now, you can imagine this is kind of a meaningful thing for for kids, 191 00:12:31.423 --> 00:12:34.623 who take on a confirmation name, it goes with them. 192 00:12:34.623 --> 00:12:38.423 For some of them, at least, they sign that name, and then it goes with 193 00:12:38.423 --> 00:12:39.823 them the rest of their life. 194 00:12:43.823 --> 00:12:45.723 Jesus didn't wait for you 195 00:12:48.023 --> 00:12:49.323 to do the research 196 00:12:51.023 --> 00:12:52.223 and to take his name. 197 00:12:54.723 --> 00:12:59.023 Jesus didn't wait for you to decide what kind of name you want to add 198 00:12:59.023 --> 00:13:00.023 to your own. 199 00:13:00.923 --> 00:13:02.423 He came to you. 200 00:13:03.723 --> 00:13:11.223 Through water and his word and he put his name on you. 201 00:13:13.923 --> 00:13:20.023 Forgiving your sins uniting you with him in his death and in his 202 00:13:20.023 --> 00:13:26.023 resurrection giving you a full and abundant life here and now. And 203 00:13:26.023 --> 00:13:29.023 giving you this promised inheritance about which we read from 204 00:13:29.023 --> 00:13:34.823 Galatians, this promised inheritance that has your name all over it 205 00:13:34.823 --> 00:13:39.523 because your name has been covered with the name 206 00:13:40.423 --> 00:13:41.423 of Jesus. 207 00:13:44.623 --> 00:13:49.223 As we wait for that day in the meantime, we proudly bear 208 00:13:50.923 --> 00:13:52.023 His name. 209 00:13:54.523 --> 00:13:55.523 Or at least 210 00:13:57.923 --> 00:13:58.823 we should. 211 00:14:02.023 --> 00:14:02.823 Ironically, 212 00:14:04.823 --> 00:14:09.323 I think it can be kind of hard around here to do that. 213 00:14:13.523 --> 00:14:17.923 At such places as an academic institution names are really 214 00:14:17.923 --> 00:14:18.823 important. 215 00:14:20.523 --> 00:14:21.023 Names 216 00:14:21.023 --> 00:14:23.523 we read. Names 217 00:14:23.523 --> 00:14:25.623 we listen to. Names 218 00:14:25.623 --> 00:14:27.823 we make for ourselves. 219 00:14:32.723 --> 00:14:35.923 It seems to me that we spend a lot of time around here. 220 00:14:37.023 --> 00:14:39.923 Either trying to show people how much we know. 221 00:14:43.023 --> 00:14:44.923 Or keeping our mouths shut 222 00:14:44.923 --> 00:14:46.823 so they won't know how little we know. 223 00:14:49.223 --> 00:14:53.223 But either way, our name is on the line and 224 00:14:54.723 --> 00:14:57.223 too often our name 225 00:14:58.623 --> 00:15:01.023 is mostly what's on our minds. 226 00:15:03.423 --> 00:15:07.623 Which is why I really appreciated that little song we sang on 227 00:15:07.623 --> 00:15:10.323 Wednesday after we communed here together. 228 00:15:11.923 --> 00:15:13.623 And remember what we sang? 229 00:15:15.723 --> 00:15:21.223 Thank the Lord and sing his praise. 230 00:15:22.723 --> 00:15:28.423 Tell everyone what he has done. 231 00:15:29.523 --> 00:15:33.923 Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear 232 00:15:33.923 --> 00:15:35.623 not their own name. 233 00:15:37.623 --> 00:15:42.423 Proudly bear his name. 234 00:15:44.023 --> 00:15:46.223 We proudly bear his name 235 00:15:47.523 --> 00:15:51.523 and not only in Chapel when we bow our head at his name or when we 236 00:15:51.523 --> 00:15:55.323 bow, our hearts at his name or when we lift up our hands at his name 237 00:15:55.323 --> 00:15:58.323 or however we show, we respect the name of God. 238 00:15:58.323 --> 00:16:09.323 We bear his name, wherever we go telling everyone what he has done 239 00:16:11.323 --> 00:16:12.123 for you 240 00:16:14.523 --> 00:16:15.323 and for me, 241 00:16:18.023 --> 00:16:19.423 It's not always easy. 242 00:16:21.623 --> 00:16:25.723 Which is why I still really appreciate the second half of Luther's 243 00:16:25.823 --> 00:16:27.723 explanation to the second commandment. 244 00:16:30.623 --> 00:16:32.523 When you have a hard time rejoicing, 245 00:16:34.223 --> 00:16:35.123 For whatever reason. 246 00:16:37.223 --> 00:16:40.623 When you find yourself once again, trying to puff your own name up 247 00:16:40.623 --> 00:16:41.423 instead of his. 248 00:16:44.123 --> 00:16:49.123 When you hesitate to tell everyone what he has done. 249 00:16:50.823 --> 00:16:53.523 Then Luther's explanation gets to be really helpful. 250 00:16:54.623 --> 00:16:56.723 Then you call upon his name. 251 00:16:57.423 --> 00:16:59.723 You pray, you praise. 252 00:17:01.023 --> 00:17:02.023 You give, thanks. 253 00:17:04.923 --> 00:17:07.523 Now, I'm not suggesting that we revise Luther's Small 254 00:17:07.523 --> 00:17:08.323 Catechism. 255 00:17:10.623 --> 00:17:11.823 No, I'm not suggesting that. 256 00:17:14.023 --> 00:17:17.723 But maybe, maybe just for today. 257 00:17:19.123 --> 00:17:21.523 Or maybe for this semester. 258 00:17:23.523 --> 00:17:25.123 Maybe we could try this one on. 259 00:17:27.523 --> 00:17:30.623 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord, your God. 260 00:17:32.023 --> 00:17:33.023 What does this mean? 261 00:17:34.523 --> 00:17:39.123 We should fear and love God, so that we do not think, 262 00:17:40.723 --> 00:17:41.623 speak, 263 00:17:43.023 --> 00:17:44.123 or act 264 00:17:45.823 --> 00:17:47.323 as if our name, 265 00:17:48.723 --> 00:17:50.823 is more important than God's. 266 00:17:52.323 --> 00:17:53.123 But rather. 267 00:17:54.723 --> 00:17:56.523 That we call upon his name. 268 00:17:57.823 --> 00:18:00.323 Pray, praise 269 00:18:01.523 --> 00:18:02.623 and give, thanks. 270 00:18:05.423 --> 00:18:06.623 In Jesus name. 271 00:18:07.723 --> 00:18:08.223 Amen.