Sunday, February 15, 2015

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Love the Lord Your God

It is now Valentine’s Day in our culture. In the church, a few folks know of the story of St. Valentine and that is understandable. In one of the most popular stories, Valentine was a prisoner for his faith, who was said to have healed the jailer’s daughter of blindness before his execution. His last note to her was signed, ‘from your Valentine’. In another story, an almond tree with pink blossoms blooms near the jail where he met his end. 

There are several St. Valentines. Some were bishops. Some were said to have healed blindness or deafness. The jailer’s daughter often appears in the tales. All their stories are mere fragments, with no clear narrative. The real Valentine is so lost in the fog of history that the Catholic Church does not include him on their main list of saints. He continues on local lists, and of course, he continues in popular culture, largely due to the work of Geoffrey Chaucer and other creators of ‘romantic legends’. But scripture too has a few things to say about ‘love’.

In the reading for Feb. 15^th Deuteronomy 6: 1-9 outlines some of the most familiar elements of the Jewish faith (Shema), and by extension, of Christian belief:

“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.”

Much has been written about this passage. I am still struck by the obvious. We are to love God with our hearts – our emotional selves; with our soul – our spiritual selves and with our strength – our physical selves. All the full aspects of being human in this life are to be offered to God and none of our humanity is unworthy of him. When I reflect on some church worship that concentrates almost entirely on the spiritual self and ignores or shuns the physical or emotional self, I am reminded of this passage. God welcomes our whole selves and is not ashamed of any of it, if we offer it reverently to God.

As I looked into the passage, I discovered a few commentaries that said this section of Deuteronomy may well have been written nine centuries after the time of Jesus. So, it actually could have been the work of scholars and not the words of Moses at all. Scripture comes to us from many sources, but I have always believed that if the story has truth in it, it can stand as an inspiration to many, including those who have no belief in any god. So, Deuteronomy 6: 1-9 has lifted many from an unclear path and set them on a more focused journey. 

In the story, Moses says these words as the Children of Israel are about to enter the Land of Canaan. Knowing they will be tempted to take on false gods in that land, he is teaching his people to keep their hearts and minds devoted to God alone. Moses has young children in mind as he speaks.

“Impress them on your children. Talk about them 

when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, 

when you lie down and when you get up. 

Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.(shel yad) 

Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (mezuzah)”

Moses is very specific here. His words have been taken both figuratively as metaphors and literally in the centuries since, as customs developed around keeping these commands. But the essence of the ideas carries much weight. Keep the Lord God in your mind and heart throughout the day and every day. Remember and keep his commandments and make sure your children do the same. And there is a promise implied in Moses’ words:

“…so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey
so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land
flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you”

This is not pure cause and effect. But implied in the obedience is the happy results – long life and plenty of food. The consequences of ignoring God are the opposite. And the Old Testament is full of stories of those who wandered away from obedience to and love of God and suffered.

Coming back to more recent times … Chaucer and the chivalric romances of the Middle Ages are in themselves a metaphor for the daily devotion to God that fills this passage. The search for the Holy Grail in many ways was the search for unity with God. The Muslim custom of prayer with forehead pressed humbly to the ground five times a day is in the same tradition of obedience and devotion to God. As is the practice of Meditation in many religions and cultures. And Daily Bible reading, lighting candles and use of prayer beads all fall into this same tradition. 

And, as for St. Valentine … the legend resounds with a strong thread of devotion and dedication. Whoever Valentine was, he followed a discipline not unlike that Moses describes in Deuteronomy 6. I’m spending St. Valentine’s Day performing for veterans with my drama group. And yes, there will be secular Valentine’s Day treats, but later, at home I may find time to rethink the idea of ‘Devotion’.

Peter Mansell February 13, 2015