This Sunday’s readings—from Deuteronomy and Mark—repeat the Shema Yisrael. That proclamation—“Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our Lord, the Lord alone!”—is what every devout Jew declares every day. The ...

In Mark 12:28-31, the Scribes asked Jesus, “What is the Great Commandment?” He responded, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the ...

It’s a new year, and with that comes the long-time tradition of making a list of resolutions and the relatively new advent of choosing a word of the year. Everyone’s resolutions and words are ...

As a pastor in the Christian tradition, I find my mind turning once again toward the language of my faith. More specifically, I’ve been thinking about how the Christian life has been anchored in what ...

Did you know there are over 1000 “commandments” in the New Testament? That is almost twice as many as the religious Jews identified from their Torah (first five books of the Old Testament – 613 of ...

What is the purpose of my humanity? Many a philosopher and theologian have asked this question. Jesus Christ answered it in his own words in Mark 12:30-31: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart ...

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as ...