From Rev. Rebecca’s Sermon March 22, 2020 on Mark 12:28-34
But seriously, what should we do right now? Jesus always has the answer and I love that our narrative lectionary is bringing us the Greatest commandment on this very Sunday. We should get back to basics of our faith, our love, our lives… that is what we should do. Jesus’ answer then is our answer now as to what we should do. It is the most simple and yet profound answer.
Jesus tells us to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, strength…your whole being. Whether you are a schedule person and you need to write down what you are going to do in these days or you are one who loves the freedom, how will you love the Lord your God with all your heart? My guess is you have some vision of yourself being super pious and reading the bible with a lit candle in a perfectly crafted space. If that works for you, and I know some of you it does, do that! Most of you, let that go. That is not a helpful expectation and the guilt you put on yourself for not doing it… is a hinderance to the Lord. That is not your life and you are not all of sudden because you are home more hours gonna make that happen. Just sit down in the middle of your mess and be quiet. Listen for the Lord in the middle of your mess, our mess. God is there! And you can love her with your whole heart.
Second is love your neighbor as yourself. Depending on who you are, many of us need to hear this in reverse, love yourself as you love your neighbor. Jesus is saying you have to do both. This is a great time to just love on yourself. Social media is full of a million expectations of what you should fill your time doing: cleaning your closets, getting to those undone projects, homeschooling your pets. For some of you, keeping busy is loving yourself. I often fall in that category. But now is the not the time to place unnecessary expectations on ourselves. Now is the time to love yourself. If you clean out a drawer, be wowed! You might be better suited taking a bath, or a nap or binge watching TV show you have wanted to see. Take care of yourself. Love yourself. That extends to the people living with you. To my fellow parents out there, your children need your love and attention more than they need school lessons right now. You can do both, but drop the expectations and the guilt and make some cookies.
Love your neighbors as yourself. Neighbors. The biggest thing we need to avoid right now is turning inward and focusing only on ourselves and those living with us. Whether your work is deemed essential or you are holed up at home, our tendency is that everyone is out for only themselves. This is not good for our souls or our mental health. So be creative and figure out how you can love your neighbors and friends across the country while maintaining your social distance. Whether that is video chat or a love letter in your window or talking face to face six feet away, spend your energy loving others.