Lent, Day 14: TALK

Recite the Primo Credo Today in the Morning and in the Evening:

Hear, O Israel:
the Lord our God, the Lord is one;
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.
The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.
~Mark 12:29-31

Today, on the Fourteenth Day of Lent, we continue to discuss the Primo Credo. We will be meditating on it over the period leading up to Resurrection (Easter) Sunday; and we will be trying to remember to recite it daily, once in the morning and once again in the evening. For the last two weeks, we have stressed the importance of intentionality; thinking, feeling, and meaning the words as we repeat them- not just hollowly reciting them. Our goal is to let the words work in us, and hopefully through us, and back out of us.

Remember, the “Jesus Creed” (Scot McKnight’s coined phrase) / The Primo Credo (my name for it) was taken from the scriptures of Jesus’ day- Deuteronomy 6: 4-9:

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.

7 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.

8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

"TALK about them when you are along the road,

when you lie down, and when you get up…"

Aside from being profoundly beautiful and expressive poetry, this sentence bears significant meaning for the Christ-centered Life. These words give us powerful imagery of what an effective Faith Walk looks like.

“Our children,” of course, means our offspring, but I do not believe that it is limited to them. Jesus called Peter to a life that validated his Jesus-love through the nurture of his spiritual offspring (John 21:15-17). Interestingly, this passage interchanges several different Greek words for love- possibly emphasizing to the reader that love of God is prismatic in its expression. Additionally, we are told by Paul that “what really matters” is our faith (what we believe) expressing itself to others in love (Galatians 5:6). Finally, St. Francis of Assisi (Founder of the Franciscan order, 1181-1226) has been quoted as saying:

“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”

As a parent, I know that the job of raising my sons to believe and walk in the way of Jesus is extremely important. Further, I know that simply dragging them to church or putting them in Sunday school or in a Christian school setting will not be sufficient. Ask any young adult who has left the church and you will find that there is an amazingly common thread- they have observed hypocrisy. I believe there is only one way to mitigate hypocrisy- it is by being more intent on letting my life talk about my walk with Christ, than my talk.

So, “Impressing God’s laws on our children” can, in its most plain sense, be understood as a directive to teach our children about God and His laws, to give them instruction on the scriptures, etc. But in a broader reading of this verse, we can see that we are called to a discipleship program that includes instruction, but which also must include leading by example.

Today, may you meditate on God’s word to us, and may you TALK AND WALK a life that glorifies God.

MAY MY LIFE SPEAK

Speak I this day
…of the strong power of the Trinity.
…of the Three in One, the One in Three,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Son.
…of His Great Power to Transform Both You and Me.

Speak I of the Father,
Speak I of the Son,
Speak I of the Spirit,
Speak I of the Three in One.

God, and Spirit, and Jesus,
In My Life-Walk By Light of Day...
On My Life’s Path By Dark of Night...
Ever on My Heart,
Deeply in My Soul,
Always On My Mind,
Speak I of You with My Words and Life
That I Might Win the Fight.

©Tracy B. Dickerson, 2011