Wedding season is upon us and I am remembering all the weddings I have officiated in the past. Couples really want to put their own stamp on the ceremony, but most will request the more traditional elements of the wedding such as Scripture, prayers, and vow exchanges. In our United Methodist wedding service, we actually do vows twice. The first is the standard “I do” sayings of commitment, and the second are the ring vows taken as the couple exchanges wedding rings. The ring vows get me EVERY TIME. Even though I have officiated hundreds of weddings, (this is where you end up when you are 1. old and 2. live in a popular wedding destination) I still tear up every time I instruct the couple to repeat this after me: “I give you this ring as a sign of my vow and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.”
With all that I am.
With all that I have.
Those simple phrases contain a tremendous pledge of commitment, stating that the couple are head over heels, completely sold out, one hundred percent, IN.
Our scripture today is known as the Shema in Hebrew. Shema means “to hear.” It is a declaration that the Lord is the only one true God and we are instructed to be all in with God and God’s Word. With all of your heart, your entire being, every ounce of strength, you are commanded to be solely dedicated to God and God alone. Like a poker player pushing all his chips across the table, there is no turning back.
Deuteronomy 6 (Common English Bible)
4 Israel, listen! Our God is the Lord! Only the Lord!
5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. 6 These words that I am commanding you today must always be on your minds. 7 Recite them to your children. Talk about them when you are sitting around your house and when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them on your hand as a sign. They should be on your forehead as a symbol. 9 Write them on your house’s doorframes and on your city’s gates.
Teaching the children about the Lord is an important part of this passage. It is good for parents to realize that the task of educating their kids about God’s Word is not just the work of the church, but must be done at home every day. Parents, are you doing that?
In the Jewish tradition, the instruction to tie God’s words to your hand resulted in the use of the phylactery, a small leather box that contained a parchment of Scriptures that was tied with leather straps. Similarly, the mezuzah was created to post Scripture on the doorpost of the house. It was a long leather box with a parchment rolled up inside. These are intended to be visible signs of a household dedicated to studying Scripture every single day. It was God’s intention that the words be inscribed on the head and heart in such a way that the student would never stray from them. Constant repetition is how we learn, and the Shema is recited twice a day for this reason.
This passage reveals the very nature of God. God is love, and so God’s children, made in God’s image, are commanded to love. Jesus called the commandment to love God with all your heart the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37-38. And the second greatest commandment naturally follows: Love your neighbor. (Matthew 22:39)
When we learn to love as God loves and love whom God loves, then we will truly be all in. How about you? Do you love the Lord with all that you are and all that you have? May we grow deeper in our understanding of this commandment.
At Water’s Edge 