Scripture Readings: Deuteronomy 7.12-16 and
John 1.35-42
Moses, the reluctant leader, recites what becomes the great shema of the Israelite people: “Hear, O
Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. “ Moses continues with a call to
devotion and faithfulness in Deuteronomy 6. “You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” How many
of us recited those very words in catechism class or Sunday School? I always
said the scripture with hesitation and a softer voice. The “all” and the
“heart, soul, might” parts seemed too much to hope given my performance to
date.
Moses describes the blessings for God’s people when they are
obedient to their calling. The blessings cover everything: fruit of the womb
and the ground, grain, wine, oil, flocks, health, and you name it. He warns
against the snare of turning away from God. The Israelites declare intentions
of purity and truth. Yet time and time again, their wanderlust finds them dancing
with abandon in the temples of other gods.
In John 1, John the Baptist calls out to Jesus: “Look, there is the Lamb of God!” Imagine Jesus just walking by you. The men with John, including Andrew, immediately latch onto Jesus. Andrew grabs his brother and brings him along. “We have found the Messiah!” So begins the cadre of disciples who will follow Jesus until death and beyond. They pledge to never leave or forsake Him. We know the story: the disciples’ journeys are rocky and fraught with drama. Andrew’s brother, Simon Peter, is the very one who denies even knowing Jesus, as a crowd questions his loyalties.
I say the great shema
with desire in my whole being to love God well. I want to pursue God as my
greatest affection and to follow the Lamb. But I settle for so much less. I
chase lesser loves. I walk away from blessings in search of who knows what.
I lean hard on the beginning of John 1. “And the Word became
flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, full of grace and truth.”
I need the undeserved, unmerited favor of a covenant-keeping God. Grace saves
me over and over. Truth calls me back to “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.”
This Lenten season, may the Spirit work in you to rejuvenate
and renew your love for God and for all human beings loved by God. May God
Emmanuel, who became flesh and lived among us, shine grace and truth into every
nook and cranny of your being. In this, may you find peace.
Joni Powers, FirstChurch member, author
