Today’s Community Scripture – 2/16/2023

– Scripture:

(37) “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”

                             Matthew 22: 34 – 40

– Reflection:

 I am the oldest of four children in the home – and so, alliances would often shift between my brother, our two sisters, and myself depending upon who we could team up with. Brother in trouble? Join my sister! Childhood squabbles are often innocent and silly, but I wonder if we tend to “team up” with others to highlight our priorities and values, especially when those we disagree with are on the receiving side of criticism. The text for today is in the middle of a back and forth between the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus had gotten on to the Pharisees earlier, it was the Sadducees turn next being corrected. The Pharisee’s saw the correction of their opposing group as a way to prove they were right. When both of them were arguing about things that were silly, and childlike. They were focusing on who small things that I would have focused on as a boy, like I have done more chores proving that I was in the right space for honoring our parents; when I should have been focused on loving GOD with all of me, and loving friends as well as myself. Being a group of educated adult men talking scripture all day did not allow them the headspace of what was important at all.

Where do we go from here?

Make it a point to get into right fights with others, I have seen on YouTube, or even television christian people speaking on rules and not the heart of GOD. Still on the sacrificial life instead of the blessing that Jesus died for us all. If being write or being more successful is the point you are trying to make then you are missing the entire reason for Jesus dying and being resurrected.

Our Prayer for Today

Father God, thank you for bringing us back, for grounding us, for reminding us of what is truly important in life. For the times that we allow our attention to stray and the squabbling starts – may your grace ever so persistently remind us that we are loved and that we are called to love you and others. Amen.