Heart not Head

Read It: Jeremiah 31:33-34 (NRSV)

33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. 


Learn It:
Today is Reformation Sunday.  The day the Lutheran church celebrates the day that Martin Luther began to see the inconsistencies between what he was reading in the Bible and what he was being taught about his faith. For many Christians it would be a new beginning and a new understanding for their faith. This is what this text is all about.  This text is about a new beginning between God and God's people.  God no longer wants to rely on them hearing about God but wants all people to know God not just as something read or heard but as something that they truly know in their hearts.  Sometimes it can be easy to "know" something in your head but not always "know" or "believe" in your heart.  


Share It:
Have you had the experience where you knew something to be true or right but it never really clicked until later in your life when you then were able to really know or believe it?  What was it?  How did it happen and what was the catalyst that brought about the change from head to heart?  Why do you think it might be harder to believe something than it is to just understand it?  What do you think the difference is between the two?  Share these questions and other ideas that might come up during your discussion.


Live It:
Spend this week thinking about the things you know in your head and things you know in your heart.  What is the difference and why are there some things that haven't switched from head to heart?  Try to identify those things and see if you can really focus in on it and try to begin to make that shift.  I don't think you'll make the shift in that week but try to work on reforming your head and your mind.  Blessings!

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Survey Says...

Read It: Matthew 22:37-40 (NRSV)

37 He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Learn It:

At the time of this question about what is the greatest commandment Jesus has already entered into Jerusalem for the final part of his ministry leading up to his death.  The Pharisees and Sadducees are doing whatever they can to try to stop Jesus and have his followers deny him.  They ask a series of questions trying to trick him into answering their questions in such a way that will prove that he is not a prophet but simply a phony who isn't worth following at all.  The reason why this question was meant to be tricky is that there were 613 mitzvot (commands) in the Old Testament.  As Christians we only focus on the 10 Commandments but every time God declared the people to do something it became a mitzvot, a commandment.  So you can see the whole idea of picking which one is greater than the rest is not quite so easy.  

Share It:

Think about your favorite items.  What are they (color, ice cream, sport, instrument, musical group, movie, TV show, subject in school, etc)?  Is it always easy to come up with your single most favorite thing for everything?  If your parents (whether you are an adult or child right now) gave you 613 rules to follow (I know it may seem like they do or did) do you think you could remember all of them well enough to make sure that you didn't break a single one of them?  What if they broke it down to something simple like love your parents and love your siblings?  Would that be easier?  Why or why not?  Talk about these questions and anything else that may come up during your time together.

Live It:

Spend this next week living by rules of love God and love your neighbor as yourself.  It's just two rules you have to follow this week.  See how well you do and see how loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself might change the way that you interact with people this week.  

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Loving the Law

Read It: Romans 13:8-14 (NRSV)

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. 

Learn It:

Everything for Paul and Jesus is summed up in the Great Commandment in Matthew 22:34-40.  It all comes down to love.  It sounds odd at the end that love is fulfilling the law because I think we tend to think that when it comes to God's love we think that we don't have to worry about the law anymore...God's love abolishes the law and yet Paul sees it differently.  If we truly love one another as we love ourselves (or ought to love ourselves) then we shouldn't be breaking any of God's laws.  So in the end, even though we are focusing on loving others as God taught us to love each other, we are fulfilling the law.  When we love each other we won't commit adultery, we won't murder, we won't steal, we won't covet, etc.  Love is fulfilling God's law.

Share It:

Take a look at the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17 and see what each one says.  Then take a look at Luther's Small Catechism and see his explanations of each one.  Take turns reading the Commandments and the explanation and talk about how each one could be completed by loving one another.  Do you think that if we truly loved one another as we love ourselves that we could live peaceably with each other? What is hardest about loving other people?  What do other people do that makes it hard to love them?  Talk about these questions and any others that may come up during your conversation.

Live It:

Take this week to try your best (you may find it harder than it sounds) to love everyone that you interact with and meet.  See what kind of reaction you may get by loving them instead of treating them as they may think you might treat them.  It may surprise them, but it might just surprise you even more.

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