The G-Bomb

By Rev. Tom Chryst

The mother of all curse words. The foulest, most potent, most explosive word in our language. The F-bomb. You know what it is. I don’t have to spell it out.

But would you believe me if I said that, as a pastor, I am more offended by someone taking the Lord’s name in vain? I am. I call it dropping the G-bomb. You might call it breaking the Second Commandment.

God’s name is one of the most precious gifts we have. But we sinners like to abuse our gifts, don’t we? Just like we dirty up the language about sexuality, we drag God’s name through the mud too.

One way to misuse His name is purposely, like when, as Luther wrote, we “curse, swear, lie, or deceive.” Oh, but there are other ways.

The one I notice most is the phrase, “Oh my God!” Now really—is this necessary? It’s just a careless use of a precious thing when we go throwing around God’s name just to express our excitement, disgust, surprise, or whatever. We do it so much we even have an abbreviation for it now: OMG!

That’s what I call dropping the G-bomb. But it’s a bomb people drop with reckless abandon. They do it carelessly, thoughtlessly. God’s name is to be kept holy. We pray that every time we utter the Lord’s prayer, don’t we?

And don’t try to tell me OMG is used as a prayer. I don’t think so. Not unless you are finishing the thought with something remotely prayer oriented. Otherwise it’s like calling up your friend and hanging up as soon as they say hello.

Here’s a game to play. While watching television sometime, count how many times people drop the G-bomb. Or even better, count the number of times your friends use it in casual conversation. Or even better, catch yourself when you are about to say it—and stop!

It’s not easy to break a habit like this. It takes time, practice, and most of all, repentance. But know that God forgives your thoughtless words and your disrespect of His name just as He forgives all our sins in Christ.

The flip side of the coin is that God does want us to use His name. How? As Luther wrote, we “call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise and give thanks.” This is Gospel. That we get to use, to speak, to even know the name of God is a blessing and a privilege.

Perhaps I should use a phone analogy. Having God’s name is like having His phone number. I don’t know about you, but I don’t give out my phone number to just anyone—only those people I want to talk to. It is the same way with God. He wants us to call Him,to pray, to ask for what we need, and to thank Him for our blessings.

That’s why that whole burning bush thing was so important in the Old Testament. God was sharing His name with Moses and the Israelites. But it was more than that. It was “Hey, give me a call sometime. I’m here for you!” And God says the same to us.

Maybe you’ve seen that poster with all the different names for God. There must be dozens of names. Each one tells us something different about God. And almost always, the name tells us something good He does for us. Redeemer. Father. Savior. Teacher. Friend.

Perhaps the most important name God tells us is the name of His Son, Jesus, which means “God saves.” What an appropriate name for the one who died and rose and lives and reigns and truly does save us. In fact, only Jesus Christ gets us to the Father, which is why even our prayers are offered in Jesus’ name.

So think about it. Next time you’re about to drop the G-bomb, why not keep God’s name holy? It’s a precious gift. Let’s use it the right way because we will be blessed in His name.

Rev. Thomas Chryst is Associate Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, in Racine, Wisconsin. His email address is tomchryst@yahoo.com.

The Second Commandment

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not curse, swear, lie,or deceive by his name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise and give thanks. - Luther's Small Catechism