This Sunday's Worship Materials can be found in the "Featured Sermon" below. We meet in person at Harper Park Middle School, and the service is also livestreamed on our YouTube channel.

Heart Prep for Sunday, May 8th

What to do about Deuteronomy 24:8-25:4?  The range of topics across these 8 laws is quite broad.  We get everything from dealing with leprosy to how to lend to your neighbor to limits on corporal punishment.  And yet themes of truth and justice weave their way through all of these laws.  I encourage you to read the passage for this Sunday ahead of time and meditate on the need for truth in all of them.  After all, the rule of law hinges upon the truth being upheld.  But as you think about the need for truth, rightness, and justice, these verses also ask you to put them within the context of loving your neighbor.  Remember our view of the 10 Commandments must be colored by the summary Jesus gave: Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  And love your neighbor as yourself.
You see, we don’t come to the 9th Commandment in a vacuum.  The Commandment isn’t simply “thou shalt not lie” or “thou shalt not bear false witness”, but it includes the words “against your neighbor” at the end.  That’s simple when we think about refraining from telling lies.  If we don’t lie, we aren’t harming our neighbor.  But its much more difficult to think about the positive side of the 9th Commandment.  What does it mean to give a faithful and true witness that is for our neighbor?  All of God’s attributes, cares, and concerns then are on the table.  Certainly, truth and justice are present, but also grace and mercy.  As we prepare to hear from God’s Word on Sunday, we ought to wrestle with what it means to bear witness to our savior, Jesus, to all those around us at all times and in every case.  And unsurprisingly, we will find that the Gospel not only calls us to do this, but also enables us as well.  See you Sunday.