Scripture Passages of the Week
Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-21
The Ten Commandments
20Then God spoke all these words:
2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3you shall have no other gods before me.
4 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.
7 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.
8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9For six days you shall labour and do all your work.
12 Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 You shall not murder.
14 You shall not commit adultery.
15 You shall not steal.
16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
17 You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.
18 When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, 19and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.’ 20Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.’ 21Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
Reflection of the Week
This week, our “Key to Survival” is Unite
Over the past two weeks, our Exodus scriptures have taught us that when we are hungry, we must ask God for the bread we need, and when thirsty, we must wait on the Lord to quench our thirst, whether physically or spiritually (Thanks, Rev. Rice, for your message!).
But what will we do when tensions arise among us? Like the Israelites, we may find that our long desert journeys try our patience and test our bonds of friendship with each other.
This week, Exodus 20 calls us to unite around a common law in the 10 Commandments. Studied carefully, these ancient commands were meant to hold together a people who might otherwise come apart at the seams. Clearly, God designs them to promote trust among the Israelites, and to prohibit behaviors that undermine that trust.
As Christians, as Americans, and as a world, this message of unity is more urgent now than ever. Please join us this Sunday for Holy Communion, as we seek to unite in Jesus’ name.
See you Sunday!
Peace and Health,
Pastor James
P.S. Remember to prepare your bread and cup for Communion shared during video worship
Service Highlights or Announcements for this Sunday
Drive-Thru Communion
This Communion Sunday, Oct. 4th, between 11 AM and 12 PM, all are invited to drive-through the church parking lot (Wagner Ave. side) to receive Holy Communion. Pastor James and Worship Chair, Cheri Smith, will be glad to serve you Communion, including home-made Communion bread baked by our own Sarah Diaz. See you then!
Come check out our virtual Gather(ing) via Zoom on Wednesdays at 7 pm. We would LOVE to see you there. Come ready to discuss our scripture passage and raise our voices in song! If you would like the Zoom link, please sign up here.
Sign up to for the Gather Zoom meeting information here.
