Thoughtful Sermon

A sermon found here by The Rev. Dr. Roy E. McLuen (Adobe Acrobat file) and excerpted below that reflects the concept I tried to display- much less artfully- in an earlier post. Emphasis is mine near the end.

GP

In Deuteronomy chapter 22, beginning with verse 13, we are told that if a man DISLIKES his wife, and THINKS she was not a virgin before he married her, he can take her to her father and mother. If they cannot PROVE that she was a virgin, she is to be stoned at the front door
of the parents. DO WE REALLY WANT TO LIVE BY THIS KIND OF BIBLICAL MORALITY?

Later in that same chapter, we are told that if a couple is caught in adultery, they are to be taken outside the village and stoned. DO WE REALLY WANT TO LIVE BY THIS KIND OF BIBLICAL MORALITY?

We are also told that if a son disobeys his father, the son is to be stoned. How many of us over the age of 20 want our fathers to tell us what to do? How many of us believe it is correct to stone such a disobedient son? DO WE REALLY WANT TO LIVE BY THIS KIND OF BIBLICAL
MORALITY?

In the Scriptures slavery is not only condoned, but it is encouraged. For 1800 years after these Scriptures were written, the church followed this tradition. Paul tells us somewhere that if we can get free, that's ok, but we shouldn't try to get free from our masters if we are slaves. DO WE REALLY WANT TO LIVE BY THESE BIBLICAL TRADITIONS?

In Exodus, we are told we can sell our daughters into slavery, in the New Testament, women are told to keep silent in church. For almost 1980 years, women were not ordained. Most churches would fall apart without the women. Women have only been able to serve on vestry
since the 1970's. Everything was done by men for hundreds of years. Women couldn't even be on Altar Guild 100 years ago. DO WE REALLY WANT TO LIVE BY THESE BIBLICAL TRADITIONS?

In the letter to the Romans in chapter one beginning with verse 26, Paul talks about what some say is homosexual behavior. Whether it is or not is controversial. But putting that aside, in verse 32, he says they ought to die. DO WE REALLY WANT TO KILL ALL HOMOSEXUALS? DO WE REALLY WANT TO LIVE BY THIS KIND OF BIBLICAL MORALITY?

Some of the material in the Scriptures is cultural truth bound by time, some is universal truth held in eternity. Some of the material in the Scripture is human truth, some is divine. Not all biblical truth is God's truth. [Emphasis by GP] We can say the same for tradition.

We will never understand God fully or even minimally: GOD IS MYSTERY. We will never be able to understand all of God's desires for us: GOD IS MYSTERY.

But we can understand this: God wants us to love him. God wants us to love our neighbors. God wants us to reconcile.