The Wounds of Blasphemy: Exodus 20:1-7 - Ash Wednesday

Then God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.” (NRSV)

One of my biggest pet peeves as a consumer are the savings and reward cards. I have so many of these cards in my wallet that I struggled to find a wallet big enough to carry them all. And for every card I do carry, there are at least two such cards I refuse to get.

Nowadays, the stores are transitioning away from the membership cards towards smart phone apps. Just about every store you shop in has its own app.

Yet thousands of years before people said, “there’s an app for that,” they would say, “there’s a god for that.”

In ancient times, gods were everywhere. Anything you wanted or needed, there was a god for that: romantic love, good health, bountiful harvests, material wealth, safety while traveling, you name it. Rulers set themselves up as gods and demanded worship from their subjects. Households and families even had their own gods. Most of the time, people erected statues, shrines, and temples for these gods—but these gods could also be small and portable. You set them up in your home or take them along with you like a child’s stuffed animal.

To us, who worship the one true God, the thought of doing something like this is downright silly. Except for the fact that we do it still. We have objects, desires, and graven images that we make into gods. We worship these false gods with our time, our attention, and our resources. We pursue what they promise us with religious zeal, setting all other things aside. Some of these gods are tangible—money, power, success, popularity. We’ve made our homes, our cars, our clothes and jewelry, and even our social media feeds into shines and monuments for these gods for what they’ve given us. We worship politicians, making messiahs out of those we love and devils out of those we hate. Some gods are less tangible—like being in control, being in-the-know, being the envy of others. Martin Luther defines a god as “that to which we are to look for all good and in which we are to find refuge in all need.”

However, worshipping false gods is not the only way that to defile God.

There’s the second commandment: “you shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.” Most Christians I know do not take the Lord’s name in vain. But that doesn’t mean a Christian can’t break this commandment as severely as a non-believer…

Last Sunday, I spoke of how we have our own ideals and expectations of who Jesus ought to be and what he ought to do. God created us in his image, and we return the favor. This is the very essence of blasphemy—transforming the God who is into the who God is not. Blasphemy is when you set up your own false god and name it Jesus. You take everything you desire, that is important to you, that you believe is right and sacred, and you sign Jesus’ name to it. You make him the champion of your own causes. You cherry pick the Scriptures to back it all up. But who, really, is your god? Does your personalized Jesus forgive his enemies and bless his persecutors? Is he meek and humble? Does he show mercy to those who can’t help themselves? Does he hold you accountable for loving God above all else, and loving your neighbor as yourself? Do they tell you that you must lose your life and die in order to save it?

As sinners, you and I crucified Jesus because he violated the ideals and expectations people had for their Messiah. He didn’t give us what they wanted. He didn’t tell us how righteous they were. He didn’t slay our enemies. We crucified Jesus because we don’t want him to be in control; we don’t want him telling us what is good and what is not.

But it is from the cross that we see the image of God revealed most fully. We crucified the Savior God sent to us in love, and still that Savior loves, forgives, and seeks to be in right relationship with you. He takes the initiative to find you, claim you in baptism, wash away your sins, and make you a new creation. And he doesn’t stop there. Jesus gives you everything, even when you have nothing to offer him but your sin, your pain, and your shame.

And it is because of Jesus that you can receive the ashes and hear the words, “remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Receiving the ashes is an act of confession, for without Jesus all we will ever be is dust and ashes. But you receive the ashes as a bold act of hope—that even when you are reduced to dust and ashes, you are not beyond Christ’s mighty power to forgive you, restore you, and make you a new creation.

Tonight, we begin a holy season of prayer, fasting, and devotion, so that the Holy Spirit will reduce your false gods to ashes—and grind to dust your graven images of God. But this solemn journey is one that leads us to redemption and rebirth. And it leads us into relationship with a Savior who is gracious and merciful beyond all comprehension. No god you make up can ever be as forgiving, as loving, and as wise as the God who is in Jesus Christ.