Dear friends in Christ,
This Sunday, you might hear the Ten Commandments in church. One of our options for the Old Testament reading gives us verses from Exodus 20, in which God speaks the core of his law to his people through Moses.
Some politicians advocate posting the Ten Commandments in public places. Weirdly, those same politicians rarely advocate actually obeying the Ten Commandments! But we shouldn’t let political theater interfere with our appreciation for God’s law.
In the Ten Commandments, we find the core of what it means to place God first in our lives. The first few commandments orient us toward proper worship and honor of God. The later commandments help us shape our lives as people who place love first in our lives.
Sometimes you hear people putting “the law” and “love” in opposition. But the truth is that the commandments God has given are designed to give us guardrails so that we can be loving people. The law of God IS the law of love.
Before church this Sunday, I encourage you to spend a few minutes reading and reflecting on the Ten Commandments. What does it mean that God chose these ten words to give us? How do they shape our lives, or how might they more fully shape our lives?
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
More from our ministry:
Don’t forget to register for the Renewing Discipleship conference!
“In your congregation right now are adult members who know that they don’t know what they should know about their faith.” Regina Walton encourages churches to regularly offer courses introducing Christian faith – despite everything that gets in the way.
The 2026 edition of Jay Sidebotham’s beloved Advent calendar is ready to order. Get ready to slow down and get quiet this Advent, with a drawing to color in every day of the season.
Suggested reading: Sing and pray through the Bible this Advent