mercy.....#8

#8 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

In confirmation we call this the gossip commandment, mostly because in your teens you understand how pervasive and destructive gossip is.  I have often said that a middle school cafeteria is the most dangerous spot on the earth for a person's self esteem.

Luther's explanation to this commandment, however, broadens our understanding.  He writes, "We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations.  Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light."  Small Catechism, ELW, page 1161.

"....interpret everything they do in the best possible light."  You and I both know how difficult this is, most especially when words have cut deeply.   We look to the 'bad day' defense....because we have all had a bad day and others have paid for our pain.  We can even fall back on the 'poor upbringing' explanation.

But we are most challenged when we are called to recognize that the one who is causing me pain today is a sinner just like me.  We are to remember the times we have spoken ill of another, sometimes with intent, sometimes out of frustration but always unkindly.

We are to remember that we stand before God dependent on God's mercy.....mercy that we are to grant to others.

Today we endeavor to "....interpret everything they do in the best possible light." and grant mercy to others.