PENTECOST XII
August 20, 2023
“Learning for a Lifetime”
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.” Psalm 111:10
Every day provides us with opportunities to learn something new. Whenever I’m confronted with figuring out how to coax an electronic device to do what I need, I grit my teeth and tell myself that this is another chance to broaden my horizons. I’m a pretty practical person, so even if I’m not all that interested or enthusiastic about learning how to make something function, I still have to because it’s the only option! I’ve decided the best approach is to ask a much younger person to guide me through the process, and praise them generously for their knowledge and skill. As far as I’m concerned, whatever I have to do to get the “mission accomplished” I’ll go for it.
Learning takes an infinite number of forms, as we go from formal classrooms to job-focused training, to taking a variety of experiences and/or observations and adding them to the mix of knowledge already in our brains. The verse quoted above uses a term that many of us have heard numerous times, but how well do we know what it really is to “fear the Lord”? At some point, I finally heard the meaning of fear as it’s used in how we relate to God, which is to love, obey, and revere our heavenly Father. As we read verse 11 of Psalm 34, insert these words in place of “fear” and listen to it again: “Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” We’re hearing, “I will teach you to love, to obey, to revere the Lord.” This is how we will feel connected to God, to grow in understanding and trust in his love and compassion for us, his children.
The people of Israel lived according to the laws derived from the Ten Commandments and interpreted by rabbis and teachers. Individuals and communities were expected to be educated and knowledgeable about the Law, and to live according to it. The Gospels tell us of the criticism and negativity directed at Jesus and the disciples by the religious leaders of their day, as they were accused of disobeying the Law, and therefore not trustworthy or believable. But the new Gospel, the Good News that Christ was preaching took a new direction. Jesus said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17.
As we learn life lessons along our journeys, some of the old knowledge (what we thought we knew without a doubt) gets discarded, and something new and fresh is added. It might be hard to let go of what we “absolutely, positively know” but generations before us have done so, and then gone on to grow and thrive. Consider what all those observant Jews had to rethink when they heard Jesus preaching a gospel of grace, love, and forgiveness in abundance! The law wasn’t wrong, and it wasn’t bad for them, it just wasn’t all there was in relationship to God.
No matter what ages or stages of life we’re in, the opportunities of learning, growing in understanding and sharing Christ’s love for all is available to us, a gift we are blessed to share.
Grateful for every chance to learn,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers