"Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and re-write it in your own contemporary words to creatively express our faith within the community. Make it a spiritual, creative writing assignment. Share it with your children and others in the community. Post it to Facebook."
'Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.' (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
I'm still new to this whole churchy thing. But when I read the Biblical passage, I immediately thought of the time, the one and only time, I attended Sunday School when I was twelve. We learned a slightly different version of it, the one attributed to Jesus:
From Mark 12:30-31 (New Revised Standard Version):
"...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.”
But that's a whole other blog post.
So here is my response to Pastor Jonas' spiritual creative writing assignment:
Listen up, Friends: God is it, the original spark that ignited the creation of everything in the universe, all the molecules that inhabit the vast reaches of space and time. Love It, our God, with everything that makes you who you are, no matter how weak you feel, because we are star-stuff, full of God's spark. Remember these words. Teach them to people you care about, all around the world, in person or online, day or night. Get a tattoo, a yard sign, and a personalized license plate with these words. Share your stories and spread the love. (Becky Carleton's translation of Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
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