Readings; Psalm 146, Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Hebrews 9:11-14, Mark 12: 28-34
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, October 31, 2021
If somebody asked you what was the most important thing in life, how would you respond?
I'm sure you know the account of Moses leading the people out of slavery in Egypt to a new land of freedom. As the people were beginning a new life together there needed to be some ground rules, some ideas that shaped them and made them who they were. In the Old Testament the Book of Deuteronomy tells us how, before they reached the promised land, Moses gave the people some commands.
Deuteronomy 6: Verses 4 and 5, we read these words... “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”... that became known as the 'Shema'.
The traditions Moses began have been preserved to this day among our Jewish sisters and brothers. On the doorposts of traditional Jewish homes (and many not-so-traditional homes!) you will often find a small case known as a 'Mezuzah' attached to the doorpost. Sometimes those entering the house will pause to touch it and offer a prayer. Inside the 'Mezuzah' is scroll with the words of the 'Shema' written upon it.
In you attended a local synagogue you might notice that when some of the men come to worship, they have a leather pouch, known as a 'tefillin' or 'phylactery' strapped to their head or on their arm. In the pouch are the words of the 'shema'... 'Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.'
They take quite literally the command of Moses that these laws were to be written on the door frames of their houses and tied on their hands and bound on their foreheads. If every time you go in and out your house, there's the law on the door, then it helped you remember. If you have that law physically attached to you, then it's hard to ignore it. We were asking earlier, 'What's important?” That's how important the command of God is to them.
Our Bible reading from Mark's gospel had a very religious Jewish gentleman, a teacher of the law no less, coming to Jesus with a question. “Which is the most important commandment?” Jesus answers him with the 'shema'. 'Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.'
But then Jesus adds something else. A second command that was just as important as the first one. 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Jesus puts it out there! Loving God and loving our neighbor are the most important things. Jesus saw how even the most religious people could do one and sometimes forget about the other! They were so busy thinking about God that they forgot to think about other people!
That's a reminder for us as a church. Somebody once said, “The church is the only institution in the world whose main reason for existing is the benefit of those who are not its members!” We worship our God in order that we may go out and serve our neighbor.
I've been in churches where they say or have printed in their bulletins at the end of the Sunday service something like “The worship is over, now the service begins,” or even, “The service is over, now the worship begins”... because worship is all about service, not just about saying prayers or singing hymns!
The teacher of the law in our account agrees with Jesus. He says to Jesus “You are right! 'Loving God' and 'Loving neighbor' is a whole lot more than “all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” The people in those days would have special offerings that helped them feel forgiven and acceptable to God. But sometimes they left it there. They got themselves right with God but then didn't do a whole lot about helping others to know about God's love!
Today is Reformation Sunday. The Reformation’s beginning is seen as the moment Martin Luther nailed a series of suggested changes to be made to religious practice of the Church on the door of Wittenberg Cathedral. This was not an unusual act; his words were among many notices that would be pinned to the door for folks’ discussion and enlightenment.
Yet his observations really took hold and began to be spread. These days we’d call it “Going Viral.” He was laying down a challenge to a church that had fallen away from what it was meant to be. He was recalling them to what really mattered in church life, in discipleship, in being a representative, of the love and forgiveness he had experienced through his faith in Jesus Christ.
He had had this experience where he tried so hard to do everything right. To be acceptable. To be devoted. And it brought him no peace. Only when a passage in the book Romans, hit his heart, a passage about being justified before God only by faith in the grace offered by the Lord Jesus Christ, did everything start to fall into place for him. His love for God and for God’s people and for God’s church was inflamed. And he could not keep quiet about that!
And it all brings me back to asking... so what is really important?
What really matters? Money? Power? Winning? Losing? Caring? Loving? Scripture reminds me that, as a minster of the gospel, it is my privilege, and my responsibility, to place before us the words of Jesus Christ and to lift before us all, what He said was most important. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'… 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
Our calling as Christians is to put God first and make the love of God the most important thing in our lives. Not politics. Not work. Not success or prosperity. Not Church. Not family. Not country. Not self. That's not easy! It takes time and effort and devotion. But scripture assures us that it is worth it.
Because as we focus on God, we are reminded of the things God has done for us. God has given us a wonderful world in which to live. God sent Jesus to be our Savior, example, and friend. God sends the Holy Spirit to let us know that we are free and forgiven and to give us the strength to love and serve our neighbors.
Worship is important. It reminds us that our lives are not our own and that every moment we spend on this planet is a gift. Like any gift, we choose how we use it. We can seek God's way or go our own way.
Service is important. It reminds people that they belong to God and God cares about them. We seek to love God and love our neighbor.
It is not our practice to nail documents for discussion to the church door, or to write the law on our gateposts or wear pouches with the law on our heads or arms.
Yet many of us may have pictures or plaques with bible verses on them in our homes. Many of us may well wear a cross somewhere near our heart as a reminder of what we believe.
Through dying on the Cross Jesus showed us that there were no places in life, however tragic or awful, that God is not prepared to go to that we may understand God's love and forgiveness. Jesus was betrayed, rejected, mocked, tortured, and murdered. He faced pain, humiliation, and all this when His only crimes were loving the unlovable, accepting the outcast and blessing those others wanted to curse.
He went to the Cross for us, as Paul explains, 'He died that we may be forgiven.' Such was the great gospel truth the reformation sought to recover. It’s not about us. It’s about what God has done for us. Though people acted as though Jesus were their enemy, Jesus treated them like a neighbor and invites us to make our neighborhood the Kingdom of God.
The commandments are important. Our Scriptures are important. Our history is important. The Reformation was important. Our church is important. Our families are important. Our communities are important. Our politics is important. Our nations are important. Our friends are important. But what is the most important thing? Love. Always love. Always love. Always love,
Jesus tells us, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'… 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
If we take those words to heart, we may also discover, as did the teacher of the law all those years ago, that, as Jesus says in verse 34 "You are not far from the kingdom of God."
Because it is as we do the things Jesus invites us to do, that we realize His love is with us! May God help us to always be mindful of the most important things!
May God impress upon us the importance and challenge of being disciples who love.
Who love God.
Who love their neighbor.
Amen.
The Reverend. Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
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