First Commandment: Love

Mark 12:28-31

Hearing an argument,
one of the scribes
came forward to ask,
“Then which is the first
of all commandments?”

Jesus replied,
“The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The LORD our God
is the only LORD,
and you shall love
the LORD your God

with all of your heart,
with all of your soul,
with all of your mind,
with all of your strength,

and the second command is this:

you shall love your neighbor
as yourself. No other
commandments are greater
than these.”

©2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in the Gospel of Mark by referring to several of the many translations provided by Bible Gateway.

…

The love commandments

Mark 12:28-31

Coming up to Jesus, a religious expert asked,
“What’s the most important commandment?”

Jesus said, “The first thing to hear and heed is this:

The Lord, our God
alone is God!

And you shall love the Lord your God
in body, mind, and spirit:

with all of your heart,
with all of your soul,
with all of your mind,
and with all of your strength and being.

The second thing to hear and heed is this:

Your shall love other people just as much
as you must love yourself.

No other commandments mean more than these.


©2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased this scripture in Mark 12 from some of the many translations found on Bible Gateway.

…

Calling all outcasts

Anyone –
everyone! –
who joins the LORD,
who loves the Name of the LORD,
who serves the LORD
and sets aside sacred time
to be with the LORD
and holds onto
the promises of the LORD –
will be carried
into a holy place
and made joyful
in the House of Prayer
where
every offering fired with love –
every sacrifice surrendered –
will be accepted by God,
whose house will be called
the House of Prayer for All Peoples.

That’s what the LORD says –

God
who folds the outcast
into the company
of those the LORD holds in love.

© 2013, Mary Sayler, prayer-a-phrase, Isaiah 56:6-8

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