Loving God with All our Heart, Mind, Soul, and Strength - August 19

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 131, 132, [133]; PM Psalm 134, 135; 2 Samuel 19:1-23; Acts 24:1-23; Mark 12:28-34

One of my absolute favorite classes in seminary was Hebrew language.  We spent a semester learning the alphabet and the basics of the language and our first translation piece with the Shema, a prayer that is the cornerstone of Jewish daily prayers.  By those who are especially observant of the Jewish faith, the Shema is recited twice a day, every day.  The prayer can be found beginning Deuteronomy 6:4 and in Numbers and begins with “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Each day observant Jews remember that there is only one God.  And then the prayer continues with the command to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  It is the prayer that Jesus recalls in today’s Gospel when asked what the most important commandant is.

As good Episcopalians, most people get drawn to the next statement about loving our neighbors as ourselves.  At the end of the day, I can’t disagree that if we fail to do this, we probably have missed the whole point of Holy Scriptures.  Regardless of what anyone believes, when we love our neighbors (another word for all other human beings), we are living the way that God invites us to live. 

But I am left wondering this morning, why is it that we so often skip the first part of the Shema when we discuss the thrust of Christianity? It’s all about love, but it starts with love of God.  For the Jewish people, reciting the prayer twice a day ensures that they live into that ethic. 

What would our lives look like if every morning and evening, we too remembered that there is one God and our earthly lives are about loving God and each other?  Would we live differently, love differently, and look at the world differently?  Christianity often seems like it focuses more on belief than practice.  However, spiritual practices can shape what we believe.  Waking up each morning to remember that we love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  And then ending the day with the same reminder.  Seems more important than getting all the belief stuff right. 

We send these emails every morning.  If it’s the morning where you are, please join me in praying the Shema from Deuteronomy, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” The author of Deuteronomy continues, “Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”  Not a bad way of living at all!

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection: How do you begin and end your day?  Are there certain things that you do that help you connect with God?

Daily Challenge: Spend two minutes listening to the Shema in Hebrew here.