“L OVE THE LORD with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.”
You’re probably familiar with that saying of Jesus. He was asked a question about which commandment is the greatest. He went on to add, “Also, love your neighbor as yourself.” He summarized all the commandments with that one statement.
What you might not know is that Jesus didn’t think that up. He learned it in synagogue school. These commands were impressed on him by Mary and Joseph. “Love God and love everybody” was talked about over dinner, and while traveling on vacation. They were the last words Jesus heard before going to bed and the first words he heard as he ate his morning Cheerios. How do I know that? Because that very command is from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. Parents are instructed on how and when to teach that we are to love the Lord with all we are.
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. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.
Even today, Jewish families follow that admonition. A mezuzah is a small inscribed piece of parchment containing Deuteronomy 6 rolled up and placed in a decorative case that is attached to doorposts. A modern rabbi explains the reason this way, when Jews enter their house, they see the mezuzah and are reminded how they should act at home. When Jews leave home the mezuzah reminds them of the behavior they are expected to maintain wherever they go.” www.religionfacts.com/mezuzah
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SUPPOSE WE ATTEMPT to show love for God by worshiping God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? What would that look like? What is it like to encounter God with heart, soul, mind, and strength? Bob, a Lutheran minister, posed that question. He concluded, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength should center our experience of God. And our worship should involve our whole being.”
From him to us comes a question. How do/can we worship God with our whole heart, and soul and mind and strength? How do you experience God in worship? Willfully? Emotionally? Intellectually? Physically? We don’t worship with only one of these aspects of our humanity but each of us tends to emphasize one over the others. Worship is a personal encounter with the living God. How do you best encounter God in worship on Sunday morning? Think on that question as I talk about these ways to encounter God. I’ll ask you to write it down later.
■ Heart (the will; what we choose) — In our culture, heart is our primary symbol for strong, positive emotions. Valentine’s Day is a prime example. I ♥ you. But the biblical idea of heart primarily points to the human will. The power of choice. The ability to make concrete decisions.
“Worship has been misunderstood as something that arises from a feeling which “comes upon you,” but it is vital that we understand that it is rooted in a conscious act of the will, to serve and obey the Lord Jesus Christ.” — Graham Kendrick
That’s not to say we are to ignore or stifle emotions.
■ Soul (emotions; what we feel) — You might think of soul as that immortal identity that survives physical death. That’s a Greek philosophical idea and not found anywhere in the Bible. Biblical writers use “soul” in a variety of ways but primarily to describe the emotional aspect of human nature. Joy, happiness are emotions that might come to mind. But there are many more diverse emotions.
■ Fear — afraid, frightened, scared
■ Anger — A stronger word for anger is rage.
■ Sadness — feeling sad. sorrow, grief
■ Joy — feeling happy
■ Disgust — feeling something is wrong
■ Trust — a positive emotion
■ Surprise — being unprepared for something
■ Anticipation — looking forward positively to something which is going to happen.
American psychologist Robert Plutchik says there are eight basic emotions.
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WHICH OF THESE EMOTIONS do you experience in your worship of God? How do we create an environment in worship where these powerful feelings are felt and encouraged?
■ Mind (intellect; what we think) — This is where I’m most comfortable. I like logic. I like for my mind to be stimulated. I like to have a clear understanding of what’s going on. This is where I primarily come from in studying, preparing and preaching sermons. It’s where I’m most comfortable. Using last week’s sermon as an example — I get excited by comparing the story of Isaac to the life of Christ in order to understand the significance of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
What does it mean to bring our minds into worshiping God? To hear God’s word in challenging and thoughtful ways?
■ Strength (physical; what we do) — Sometimes in scripture, strength refers to personal determination; other times moral convictions. It is often connected to describing the physical aspect of human existence. To love God with all your strength means to allow your body to give expression to the thoughts, feelings, and decisions that reflect the whole person to God. In Roman Catholic worship and others, it might mean kneeling or crossing yourself. Certainly walking to the front to receive communion is a physical act. It is worship that engages the senses through incense or the smell of communion bread or visuals on the screen.
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WHAT IF WORSHIP were a whole-person God-encounter? Every time we gather for Christian worship, God is present. Yet we know that often worship fails to produce perceptible life-change in the people who attend. How can worship help me and you and others give themselves to God in such a way that God is glorified?
Earlier, I asked you to think about which of these four encounters with God is your dominant way of worship:
■ Heart — choice and will — calling people to change the way they live. To live their faith.
■ Soul — emotions — worship that is a profoundly emotional experience..
■ Mind — heavily engaging your mind. Comprehending more and more of who God is.
■ Strength — a sensory experience.
I want you to write it down. If you can’t decide between two, write them both. Then write the one that is least engaging to you. You can put your name or not. Place in the offering plate. This can aid us in planning future worship opportunities.
— Keith Cardwell
