Sermons for the Month

"Sh'ma" - Hear These Words of Jesus
DATE: 9/29/02
SERVICE: 19th Sunday After Pentecost
TEXT: Mark 12:28-34

“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN

"Sh'ma"! No, I did not say, "Shame on you"; I said "Sh'ma"! That is the first Hebrew word of today's Old Testament lesson. It means, "HEAR" and the words that follow are known in the Jewish faith as the Sh'ma.

I read this week that these words were so vital in the lives of the people of Israel that they were told to tie them to forehead and wrist, and attach them to the entrance of their homes. The idea was that the most important words in their lives would never be far from them.

In fact, I happened to speak with our new organist Bob Mollard as I was preparing my sermon; Bob has studied the Jewish faith in depth. So I asked him if he knew anything about this tradition of keeping the Sh'ma close by. He brought me a book with detailed explanations and instructions concerning constructing small boxes that are to be worn and that contain passages from the Torah. They are called tefillin; the tefillin shel yad is wound around the arm and hand and the tifillin shel rosh is placed on the head. They are worn every weekday at the morning service and among the words in them are the ones we read today, the sh'ma from Deuteronomy. These words also are placed in the mezuzah, a container that is found at the entrance of Jewish homes.

So, what are these important words? "Sh'ma - 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."

If I had been patient I could have followed the instructions in the book and made my own tifillin. I would have had to put it on carefully, because a central theme of the tefillin is the act of binding it; the one on the arm symbolizes the binding of the body and heart; the one of the head binds the mind. So it is that the total self - body-mind-heart - is bound together to worship God.

Sh'ma, my friends, because these words are not just for the people of Israel. In the New Testament Jesus quotes the Sh'ma, although the translation of it is a bit different from what we find in the Old Testament.

In the account we read from the Gospel of Mark some Pharisees and Sadducees have come with the intention of trapping Jesus - tripping him up - with some difficult questions about paying taxes and marriage in the resurrection (which, incidentally, the Sadducees do not believe in.)

A scribe who was listening to these challenges was impressed with Jesus' responses, so he asks a question of his own. "Which commandment is the first of all?" Remember that this man probably spent his days studying and interpreting all the laws of Israel. He was looking for the most essential one of the bunch - there were about 613 of them. After all, zeroing in on one law that superseded the rest might make life easier.

Jesus does not disappoint the questioner. He goes right to a form of the sh'ma. There is only one God, the God of Israel. So love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

But Jesus is not done. There is a twist. He reminds his listeners that the love of God needs to be accompanied by loving others, as we would want to be loved ourselves. He adds, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Sh'ma! Hear! That's an appropriate thing for us to say on this second Sunday of our stewardship emphasis. Last week our theme was gathering, this week it is hearing. Jesus wants us hear the very words that were, and are, pivotal in the lives of the people of Israel, with an added focus on love of neighbor.

We are to focus our time, energy, talents and resources on gathering in our lives that which has lasting value. And in order to do so, we must hear these words of Jesus.

We are to love God, the one true God, above all else. We are to love God with our whole beings - with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength - and then we are to give that love of God that we have cultivated in ourselves away. Sh'ma, my people, Jesus says, these are the greatest commandments because we all know that hoarded love turns into narcissism, selfishness and paranoia.

On the other hand, loving God first and people second, leads automatically to giving of ourselves, our time and our money to further the proclamation of God's love in the world. There are many stories to share of how people do just that. I like this one that I read this week:

They lived quite humbly for a doctor's family. A thriving ophthalmologist practice in a good-sized community brought in a good-sized income. Some folks wondered why they didn't build a more lavish lifestyle for themselves. Others wondered why they went on such long vacations.

Those who knew the doctor and family knew how much they loved God how they lived out that love in a very real way. They did not ask for donations for their work, but quiet donations were handed over by individuals and community groups alike. Benefit concerts were planned to raise money for their ministry. When they had enough to cover their expenses, they skipped town for six months.

Where did they go? Not vacation after all. In Sierra Leone, miracles began to happen. The doctor helped the blind to see, and promising young men and women learned the skills of ophthalmology that they could use to improved and even return the sight of many of their countrymen and women. Medical supplies were replenished. Hospital conditions improved.

The couple returned with empty suitcases and lots of stories. Back at the clinic, the lucrative medical practice continued. Across the oceans, the blind continued to see. Six months here and six months there, they lived simply and shared the rest. They would not have liked the word sacrifice. They would have called it loving God and loving their neighbor.

There are so many ways to show that we love God with our whole beings, and to give our thanks to God for the blessings we have received. Some, like this generous Doctor, return thanks to God by using particular skills to serve others. We may not feel as if we have something so tangible to offer, but God does not expect everyone to have the same gift. In fact, all God asks is that we use what we have, and let God do the rest.

As the October 13 Celebration Sunday approaches - when we will celebrate the past and present ministry of Faith Lutheran Church - and as we consider how our love of God will be reflected in our giving may we really hear the words of Jesus. We do not wear tifillin or put mezuzahs near our doors, but like our Jewish sisters and brothers may we keep these words close to us and may our living and giving reflect our desire to fulfill them.

"Hear, oh people of God: the Lord our God is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." And, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Sh'ma, my friends, Sh'ma.

AMEN

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