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Shabbat Shalom!
I have a friend who is a rabbi in the Houston area. When I used to Read More
Enuma Okoro | Read Mark 7:21-23
If we have been afraid to look in the mirror, Jesus holds it up for us regardless. The litany of sins in Mark 7:21-22 should make us shudder—not because they are so bad but because they are so normal in our world and, sadly, within ourselves. We may start off...
Holy Spirit, as I find the courage to see myself more fully, lead me to repentance; help me make daily choices that foster life. Amen.
The poetry of Song of Solomon is thick with romantic imagery, and most scholars agree that these lines mean what they say on the surface; they are written from the author to the beloved. Psalm 45 echoes the refrain of admiration and desire. Such desire is not wrong if it is awakened at the proper time, as the author of Song of Solomon says elsewhere. James argues that ethical living is done not in word but in deed. True religion is not putting on a show but displaying mercy and controlling the tongue. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus rebukes some of the religious leaders on this very account because they talk of obedience to God but do not live it out. What we say and what we do should match.
Read Song of Solomon 2:8-13. The narrative poetry of Song of Solomon invites us into scripture in a different way than other texts. How does God speak to you through this poetry?
Read Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9. How do your relationships honor the gift of love?
Read James 1:17-27. When do you find yourself as merely a “hearer” of the word and not a “doer”? What motivates you to act on God’s word?
Read Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23. What human traditions or rituals do you tend to make too important?
Respond by posting a prayer.
