25 August 2017 - two for one

Today's Readings

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him,
"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

We might try to play the commandments against each other to say one is more important than another and to excuse ourselves from our obligations. Jesus precludes this entirely by his teaching. We might want to play the three commandments about duty toward God against the three commandments about duty toward neighbor. But Jesus precludes this too when he says "the second is like it". How is it like it? It is a duty of love. If we miss this we miss both commandments. If we get it, we get both.

This is why Ruth is able to become so attached to both Naomi and to God. The love which Naomi has for God is the same love (in a different proportion) to the love she has for Ruth.

But Ruth said, "Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you!
For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge,
your people shall be my people, and your God my God."

We often over complicate the idea of being witnesses to God, making elaborate plans and programs. We think of what we will say and do. But simply living out the most basic ideas of our faith is what matters most. To love in the way we are called to love is always a countercultural revolution. Unless we hide the light intentionally people notice and are drawn to it. We need to be open as Naomi is to them being drawn to us as well. If he wants to use us to bring others to him we need to let him. Our love isn't big enough for this. But by grace he gives us all that we need.

The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
The LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.