The earth rejoices in hope of the Savior's coming.
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
ever faithful to your promises
and ever close to your Church,
the earth rejoices in hope of the Savior's coming
and looks forward with longing
to his return at the end of time.
Prepare our hearts and remove the sadness
that hinders us from feeling the joy and hope
which his presence will bestow,
for he is Lord for ever and ever.
Alternative Opening Prayer, Third Sunday of Advent.
Moses and the Israelites sang this song in praise of the Lord
I sing praises to the Lord for his great victory!
He has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.
The Lord is my strength, the reason for my song, because he has saved me.
I praise and honor the Lord-- he is my God and the God of my ancestors.
The people you rescued were led by your powerful love to your holy place.
You will let your people settle on your chosen mountain,
where you built your home and your temple.
Our Lord, you will rule forever!
From Exodus 15
The 10 Commandments:
The commandments meant something very specific to the Israelites of the Old Testament, but what do they mean now?
Traditional, negative phrasing.
They state the minimum.
They are based on a simple, positive foundation of love, looking beyond the negative.
Two groups - love of God and of neighbour.
The first three commandments cover our relationship with God, while the last seven deal with our relationships with one another.
In this session we try to bring out the positive in each of the commandments and adapt them to our modern personal life.
I, the Lord, am your God...
1. You shall not have other Gods besides me.
Love God above everything else.
What pulls us away from God? Money. Power. Designer clothes. Fancy cars. Modern technology. Popularity. The list goes on.
This commandment isn't requiring you to forsake all worldly goods. It asks you to try to make sure that God is foremost, and to keep other things in perspective.
II. You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.
Use God's name positively.
How can we do this? Beyond using the Lord's name in your own prayer the commandment also encourages you to speak well and proudly of your faith, and share it with others.
III. Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
Take time for God.
How? "Keeping holy" can mean playing tennis, goofing off or catching a movie, but it must mean doing good for yourself so that God is honored by your choices.
How about Sunday shopping?
IV. Honor your father and mother.
Refers to your whole family and community.
How can you cooperate to build that love and respect, and resolve differences?
V. You shall not kill.
Control yourself. Encourage others.
Obviously, but what else? abortion, mercy killing of the terminally ill and nuclear war, capital punishment, emphasizing that all people have a right to life.
What can be positive? Controlling anger leading to violence, mental or physical. Avoiding racist and sexist attitudes leading to actions that kill the spirits of others through oppressing them.
VI. You shall not commit adultery.
Be honest and loyal in all relationships.
How can we do this even where sex is not involved?
VII. You shall not steal.
Give your worth.
How else can we steal? Kidnapping, profit at the expense of the poor,
How can we deal with this commandment positively? Give a full day's work for a full day's pay. Invest time in your gifts so that you are not stealing from your own potential to excel. Help in food banks. Take care of the environment and natural resources (not steal from your children's future).
VIII. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
Be genuine.
How else can we be positive here? Bear faithful witness as you study, work and have fun. Be an example to others.
IX. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife.
Think about sexuality as a natural part of life. (especially for kids growing up)
Think of others as whole persons, not as sex vending machines.
How can we treat this commandment positively? Work for the equality of everyone-men and women, young and old, of every race. Work to develop your own talents and help others with theirs.
X. You shall not covet your neighbour's goods.
Be satisfied with what you have. That belief is tied to an emphasis on property.
What is Social Justice? Attitudes and actions which assure that all people have what they need-enough to eat, enough to wear and a place to stay.
The 10 Commandments: I THE LORD AM YOUR GOD…..
I. You shall not have other Gods besides me.
II. You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.
III. Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
IV. Honor your father and mother.
V. You shall not kill.
VI. You shall not commit adultery.
VII. You shall not steal.
VIII. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
IX. You shall not covet your neighbour's wife.
X. You shall not covet your neighbour's goods.