Swearing

‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:33-37

I grew up in a household where we never heard swearing or any profanity. I cannot say that about me and my household. My daughter Emily thought her full name was Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Emily at one time in her life! Yet the kind of swearing Jesus is cautioning his followers to refrain from, is using heaven, or earth or family as what we swear by, rather keep it simple and speak with complete honesty. We are prone to promises we don't plan to keep and putting up what we love as collateral only to default and walk away. We are invited to live life, not as a deal or transaction, but as if everything we do is in a loving and honest relationship with God.

Gracious Creator, you love us perfectly

constantly forgiving our daily missteps

offering renewal and healing to scoundrels

and embracing us in all of our struggles.

We want to win so badly that we make promises

we know we are speaking falsely often

yet we fear being the least in our crowd

and will betray our loved ones to get ahead.

lift us up from our need to dominate

and replace our broken hearts with compassion

so we might live humbly and honestly

and bring your love which is so needed now. Amen.