With all your strength

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Today is Friday the 13th of March, in the third week of Lent.

Paul Zach with the Porter’s Gate sings, ‘The Greatest Commandment’.

Love the Lord your God

With all your heart and soul and mind

And love your neighbour as yourself

Love the Lord your God

With all your heart and soul and mind

And love your neighbour as yourself

Let us be known, let us be known

By the way we love

Let us be known, let us be known

By the way we love

Love the Lord your God

With all your heart and soul and mind

And love your neighbour as yourself

Love, love, love, the greatest commandment is

Love, love, love, the greatest commandment is

Love, love, love, the greatest commandment is love

2:36

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that [Jesus] answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “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 neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”; and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s neighbour as oneself”,—this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question.

4:32

Falling Together

Chad Lawson

Following today’s reading, we are going to meditate on Jesus’ words given in answer to the scribe, with these first two commandments. There will be a short pause after each line to give you space to sit with His words.

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 commandment is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”

There is no commandment greater than these.

Which of these lines is the easiest to relate to?

Which is the most challenging?

The Scribe’s response to Jesus was, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”;  and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s neighbour as oneself”, - this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ 

End your time of prayer today, by responding to Jesus in your own words.

12:27

You have given all to me

To you, Lord, I return it

Everything is Yours

Do with it what You will

Give me only Your love and Your grace

That is enough for me

Amen