The One and Only Worthy God
One time a religious expert asked Jesus, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” (Mark 12.28). In a way, this is the key question on the heart of every genuine seeker after God- whatever our story, our time, or our place in the world. The answer Jesus gave draws our attention to the text we are focussing on this week. Jesus used Deuteronomy 6 to answer, a text known in Jewish tradition as the ‘Shema’.
‘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.’ (Deuteronomy 6.4-5).
This Sunday we consider:
what it means for God to be One;
and, what it might mean for the church to love this One God.
There is great mystery here, but also some boundaries within which to contemplate this One mysterious God. Boundaries given us in the Scriptures. We worship One Incomparable God who has been revealed in three Persons: Father, Son and Spirit. Our love for him might be applied like this: we struggle and put our human happiness in this world in third place (after God and neighbour); we avoid participation in any religious practices that don’t acknowledge this One God revealed as Trinity; as a community we pass on faith in the One Incomparable God to emerging generations.
Reflection Questions
1. What would community life be like if everyone put the pursuit of their own individual feeling of happiness before loving God and serving neighbour?
How would this impact:
– the goals of business / our care for vulnerable groups / the way we help young people train for trades and professions / the way we manage family relationships
2. What would community life be like if everyone put loving God and serving neighbour before self?
How would this impact:
– the goals of business / our care for vulnerable groups / the way we help young people train for trades and professions / the way we manage family relationships
3. Read Deuteronomy chapter 6. How would you describe the role of the word of God in community and family life in verse 6-9?
4. What is the connection between loving God (v4-5) and our response to his commands (v6-19)?
5. How does Jesus’ gift of the Spirit enable us to fulfil Deuteronomy 6.4-5? (See for example Galatians 5.16-26).