Daily Scripture Email - Tuesday, 4 February 2014 - Devotion at Trinity United Methodist Church in Florida

Daily Scripture Email - Tuesday, 4 February 2014 - Devotion at Trinity United Methodist Church in Florida
"The Shema"
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 is the Mt. Everest of the Old Testament.  The Apex, the Pinnacle.  This is the Shema, "Shema" being the Hebrew word for "Hear," the first word in this paragraph.  It is the sentence that is repeated by our Jewish brothers and sisters more than any other; it is often the first thing they say every morning.  By the way, not a bad way to begin one's day!!
Because this (including the following four verses as a part of theShema) is so important, both to Jews and to Christians, we will spend three days here.
"The Lord our God, The Lord is one."  Monotheism was one of the great gifts of the Hebrew people to the world.  It is what Christians, Jews and Muslims hold in common.  As Christians, we also hold to a "Trinitarian Monotheism," which means that we believe in One God, of One Essence, having three expressions:  Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
With Monotheism came a heightened sense of moral integrity and ethics, of accountability and responsibility.  It is a gift that has experienced serious erosion over the past hundreds of years, but needs to be reclaimed, and reciting the full Shema every day, and living by it, every day, would be a giant step in the right direction.  See you tomorrow.
-------