We seem to be living at a time
in which laws themselves
are being called into question,
especially laws which are
literally
a matter of life and death.
Is it ever right
to end someone's life?
If the Law can decide
whether we live or die
then it is truly powerful.
Except it isn't.
[PAUSE]
The Law decides nothing.
We make the decision
based on what the Law tells us.
The Law tells us that
killing an innocent person is wrong.
If we kill an innocent person
then we know that we have
broken the Law
and it is the court
who will ensure that
we are convicted and jailed.
It is Man who judges
not the Law.
The Law shows us
when what we do is wrong.
But that's all it does.
It's something that we've got used to
since we decided
to eat from the fruit of the Tree
of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
What did we have before the Fall?
What did we have before
forbidden fruit?
[PAUSE]
We had God.
We had a relationship,
a way of living together,
a covenant of love
in which we saw
the goodness of God
shining gloriously
throughout Creation.
There was no Law
because it was just us and God.
Since we have fallen
and now have knowledge of
Good and Evil,
we are obsessed with
doing the right thing
and living in a society
which would rather prevent us from
killing one another
than enable us to love one another
as we love ourselves
and walk with God.
Ironically,
having a written Law
makes us forget about
loving God,
because we just
do what we want
as long as we do
what the Law says.
[PAUSE]
This is the whole point
of St Paul's letter to the Galatians.
The love of God comes first
before any law.
Love Him and love neighbour
and we do more than just
obey the Law.
We go beyond it
back to God
and open ourselves up
to seeing Him again
just as we did before
we chose to disobey Him.
Our reason for obeying the Law
must be only to turn ourselves
back to God,
not for just merely existing
in a society
which does not see the worship of God
as important.
If we love God and
if we love our neighbour
then there is absolutely nothing
for us to worry about
and the lawyer is out of a job.
[PAUSE]
Our duty and our joy
is to love God
as fully as we can.
We will not find happiness
in codes of law
and books of statutes.
The Law cannot pick us up.
The Law cannot bind our wounds.
The Law cannot restore our health.
The Law sees us lying fallen
and can only pass by
on the other side of the road.
But, we can go back before the Law
for, before the Law,
there is Love.
[PAUSE]
Christianity is not about
doing the right thing
or avoiding sin.
It is about focusing on God
and living His life
and loving.
But loving does not mean
love according to
the lusts of the flesh
but according to
our perfection,
and the perfection of others,
in God.
Knowing the Law
Is crucial
because it shows us
what sin is,
and how it works.
Knowing what sin is
is vital for knowing our imperfections
and addressing them
in God.
It means we avoid sin
by turning to God
in Whom all laws
have their fulfilment
and we have
true joy.
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