Loading...Have any of y‘all ever tried to read the Bible straight through?
Maybe not in one sitting, but
Genesis – Malachi and Matthew – Revelation.
Hands up for all who have either tried or who have actually done it.
It’s pretty easy to start:
Genesis is full of stories; it is full of drama.
It’s a story of a family that, well, doesn’t always do right by each other, but they are the family that God chose.
Exodus continues this family’s story.
They end up in Egypt because of a famine and grow & grow in number. They grow so large that Pharoah enslaves them all
and things get really bad.
But, then there’s dramatic story of liberation and escape
(you know, the one with plagues involved).
The story wanders a bit as they wander in the desert,
but there are still interesting escapades.
And they end up in the Promised Land!!!
(Then, there’s drag again in the description of the Temple)
And, then, as you are reading along in all of this, it comes to a screeching halt when you get to ... Leviticus.
All of these instructions for how to give offerings,
and what priests are supposed to do;
how people are supposed to dress.
What to eat (or not)
What’s considered clean or unclean.
If you didn’t give up toward the end of Exodus, you likely did in Leviticus.
Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat, that’s some dull stuff about what seems to be minutiae that’s just not that important! (except that it was)
Leviticus is a detailed, intricate exposition of the Law,
both the “Priestly Code” and the “Holiness Code”.
But, detailed minutiae or not, Leviticus –
the “statutes, ordinances, and laws” of God –
are the ways of living that help the people to be holy
to be set apart (live differently than others)
to define themselves
to show through actions the intentions of the heart and the mind
to reflect the love and life of God given to the people of God.
All too often, we Christians think that the Law in Hebrew Scripture
is restrictive, or old-fashioned, or even unnecessary and oh-so-binding!
We quickly point to Jesus and say “he fulfilled it all,
so, goodness!, what use is it anymore?!?”
Yet, the Law of God is a gift of life.
It is God’s love manifest for people.
It is a Way of living that is intended to reflect God’s love in the world and amongst community.
It is a Way to be a life lived that is centered on God,
and that makes God the priority in life.
So, if you’ve made it to Leviticus 19,
you begin to see the whole, despite the particular.
And, in case you missed it,
Jesus – our rabbi and teacher – points it out:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
All of these things – behaviors, habits, actions –
are practices of daily life that help us to love our neighbor
(and ourselves).
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Jesus quotes from both great Law books – Deuternomy and Leviticus:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind”, and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
This is the heart and soul, the foundation, of everything we do.
As the people of God who follow in the Way of Jesus and who walk beside Jewish brothers and sisters, this “loving God, loving others, and loving self” centers and focuses us. But, we didn’t come up with the idea ourselves, and we definitely cannot do it alone!
God -- the source of life, creation, you, and I – loves you so deeply and completely and frees you from your own prisons, doubts, anxieties, and fears to love yourself and your neighbor.
God, the source of all life, has freed you so that you can use your energy, your abilities, your resources, and all that you are
to love and serve creation
to love and serve others
even, and most especially, those you DON’T know,
or, who are different than you, even those who
are completely opposite in their values and principles.
We love him or her
both because God loves them
and because God calls us to love our neighbor.
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Here’s a little experiment for you to take part in:
Consider for a moment someone you have met or know about,
but don’t consider a friend because y’all are so different.
You might think of another parent at your kid’s school,
or a neighbor you’ve never connected with
(do they blow the leaves in their yard early, early in the morning, or have a dog that barks constantly, or maybe they have a political sign in their yard that you don’t agree with?),
or a refugee family who has recently moved in down the street.
How is this person you’ve thought of your neighbor even if they don’t live near you? How is Jesus asking you to love this neighbor in your words and actions? How have you been freed by the love of God through Jesus Christ who gives life and hope to you so that you can step outside your comfort zone to serve this neighbor?
Turn to someone near to you and share your thoughts and ideas about loving and serving this neighbor you’ve thought about. Spend a little time sharing with one another.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus isn’t just speaking to the Pharisees and lawyers (religious leaders) or to the people of his day.
He’s not just speaking to us individually.
Jesus is inviting us as a community
to also love our neighbors as ourselves—
to love our neighbors who are literally across the street:
prayer walks and invitations in the neighborhood to our west,
and reading mentors and field day helpers at Linwood school.
And to love our neighbors who live further away:
helping with new refugees to Spokane
serving at Dinner Table or helping at the food bank at Caritas
being a part of ecumenical learning and partnerships.
When we love,
we get to the heart of what God is all about –
relationship, life, compassion, abundance, generosity, hope,
and yes, love –
the thorough, deep, and abiding love that frees you to serve,
and that is for you!
Amen
