Deacon Christina Cernansky
I speak to you in the name of Source, God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, mother of us all.
This past week, I was made privy to an interesting point on social media. There are many supporters who want the 10 Commandments posted in public spaces to educate the masses, but nowhere are we fighting to have the Beattitudes advertised in mass production. You know, the Beattitudes, blessed are those who are poor, meek, weak, hungry, downtrodden, yeah, those Beattitudes. The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew.
Think about that, people who follow Christ push for the Old Testament tenets of Moses to be posted in the public sphere over Jesus words. Now I am not saying the 10 Commandments are irrelevant, quite the opposite. I love me some 10 Commandments, right, don’t lie, steal, cheat, covet your neighbor’s property, you know the drill. In addition, as you know, Jesus did fine-tune them a bit when he told his disciples the “New Commandment” to love God and one another, which sums up all 10 Commandments in a clear and concise way.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus told his disciples to “come and see” after they asked where he lived. He said, come and see where I live, and how I live”. In turn, we are invited to “see” how to live life accordingly. To live out the 10 Commandments and teachings of the Prophets.
My first year in seminary, I found this super annoying, because I thought 10 Commandments must be confusing since we keep missing the mark. We, as a society, continue to find ourselves in a pickle from time to time. I mean, if you think about it, from Moses’ time to now, Ha, how about an eternity of being in this quagmire. And lo and behold, in 2026, here we are again. In pickle, trying to live out the 10 Commandments, to love our neighbor and love God.
But Jesus, “the lamb of God”, once again. This morning, we are invited to “come and see”. This invitation to yes, see what his teachings are all about, but more so…how we can emulate, mimic, and by doing so, we are transformed by not only going to “see” but then, doing what he says to do.
As you know, I teach mental wellness practices in large community settings. Last week, I was in a small town called Sandpoint. We had nearly 30 students, including local government officials and staff, as well as community leaders from various groups and backgrounds. I tell the students in my class to “see, hear, do,” as we all learn from one another in seeing and hearing, and then, by demonstrating, we in turn learn not only how to practice, but the circle continues as others see and hear different perspectives.
Bit by bit, step by step, Jesus taught his disciples the same strategy: see me doing these things, listen to how I do them, and now you go out and do them. These acts of service, kindness, unconditional love, that knew no boundaries. He kept teaching these lessons to counter the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, the double-standard religious zealots, and to show that the Roman Empire was no God, or could compare to God’s love, mercy, and grace. But here is the thing: he taught his disciples to “come and see” and then to follow him as he demonstrated.
The lamb of God has tasked us with reconfiguring giant systems like the Roman Empire and religious institutions that were led by dogmatic power structures, to demonstrate act of kindness of God and our neighbor. We are tasked with focusing on those who have been forgotten on the margins.
We are tasked with not being transactional in our relationships with one another, but with being transformed in those relationships. We are tasked with being willing to see what else is going on, to hear what else might be happening with our neighbors, and to demonstrate Christ’s love for one another.
I follow a fellow who writes a blog called “The Backyard Church”, his name is Dan Foster, and he wrote a post this week that I wanted to share with you all, he states, “If following Jesus is framed as readiness for sacrifice, then faith becomes something you prove. It rewards intensity, certainty, and dramatic resolve. It also leaves very little room for doubt, slowness, or growth. You either feel committed enough, or you don’t.
But if following Jesus is about allowing your life to be reordered over time, then faith looks different. It becomes something you practice rather than perform. It is measured less by what you would do in an imagined crisis and more by how you live in ordinary situations where no one is watching….Let me repeat that last bit,
“It becomes something you practice rather than perform. It is measured less by what you would do in an imagined crisis and more by how you live in ordinary situations where no one is watching. ”
How are we, as Christians, told by the lamb of God, going to be transformed, meaning how we show up in the most loving way, in these relationships in our communities, with our neighbors, when no one is watching? How can we be transformed and rebuilt? Remember, Jesus doesn’t say “see and come”; he tells us to COME to him, and then WE will be able to truly see.
At this moment, are we entering the world that Jesus has created for us to see and emulate? Or are we showing up with pain, anger, aggression, or fear? OR are we showing up with shining, unbounded love so bright that we lift up our neighbors? That we bring people out of despair and fear? How can we not only see this devotion of Christ within us all, but also hear Christ’s love for us all, and demonstrate that love for all in our daily lives? This week, let’s dig a little deeper into our souls, our relationships, and our interactions with one another and be transformational. How do we not only live out the 10 Commandments but also live out Jesus’ directions in the Beattitudes that we sometimes tend to overlook as we “come and see” where Jesus lives within us all?