Bearing God’s Name
Lectionary Date: March 7, 2021 [3rd Sunday in Lent, Year B]
The ten commandments are both very familiar and largely misunderstood in congregations. We hear from an expert on these issues, our guest this week, Dr. Carmen Joy Imes. Carmen is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Prairie College in Alberta, Canada. Her research has opened up the significance of the commandments for biblical scholars and “normal people” alike. All of you should immediately purchase her book, Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters. She has also authored Illustrated Exodus in Hebrew, which was edited by Tim in the GlossaHouse Illustrated Biblical Texts series. You can find Carmen at her blog, https://carmenjoyimes.blogspot.com/, and at her new YouTube vlog.
After listening to this podcast a second time, the most significant part was looking at the Ten Commandments as a people who wear the name of God and our actions, behavior should serve as an honored representatives bearing the name and conducting ourselves in manner representative of the one we call our father. This is more palatable than attempting to cross every t and dot every I on this Christian journey!