“Bind them upon your heart always; tie them around your neck.” Proverbs 6:21
The day of my ordination, two friends gave me a bracelet as a gift for the occasion. Inscribed upon the bracelet was the “Shema Israel,” a passage found in the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy. For two years, while I was in South Africa, I wore the bracelet every day. Often, when I was in lengthy worship services, struggling to understand or stay tuned into prayers and songs in a language that was not my own, this bracelet was a saving grace. I would look down at the Hebrew words which wrapped around my wrist, and I would recite their meaning in silence.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem* on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9
It was a reminder of where I had come from and of what was required for faithfulness, even thousands of miles away from home. Whenever I was called upon, to preach or pray, particularly in the wake of the death of a church member, or right before I walked into a house full of mourners, I would touch this bracelet, and I would find a little more courage to follow its instruction, despite my fear.
While most Christians know the Ten Commandments, many are not familiar with the Shema. They don’t know that these verses follow on the heels of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy, the chapters juxtaposed next to the other, or that observant Jews begin and end each day of life praying these words. At the time of death, these verses are often spoken as a last affirmation of faith in God. These words are at the very heart of the Jewish faith. Remember when Jesus was asked to name the greatest commandment, he recited the words of the Shema. If the Torah could be paired down into a “thesis statement,” many would argue that these verses would be the answer.
I wonder what it would be like to pray these same words every day throughout life, after waking up and before going to sleep, these verses becoming the bookends to whatever else the day might hold. I imagine that once this prayer becomes a habit, once it is grafted upon a person’s heart so well that nothing can erase it, reciting this prayer is like taking a breath. Whether or not we are aware of our breathing, as long as we live, our breath exists. We can count on it. For some, faith may follow a similar pattern. Just as our body breathes instinctively, without constant reminder, praying this prayer no longer requires memory. Instead, over time this prayer becomes an underlying refrain in one’s life, and in some seasons louder than others. But, always it is an echo of the faithful from other times and places.
A few days ago, I was talking to a young woman about going to church. For years, she had avoided the faith of her upbringing, finding other things to fill her days and other ways to connect with community. But, the birth of her daughter changed her heart. For her child’s sake, it was time for her to be serious about church. It was as if she was responding to the words of the Shema. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Though her daughter is still young, she recognizes that binding this little girl’s heart with God, inscribing the ways of faithfulness into her genetic fabric, begins at birth, in the morning and at night, at home and while away.
Over the coming weeks, we will continue reading Brian McLaren’s book, Finding Our Way Again, and we will discuss the practices of our faith with help us bind our hearts to God. Following God’s statutes is not, in the end, what saves us. God’s grace and love are solely responsible for that. We are reminded, though, that God’s instruction is food for the journey. When practices, like prayer, fasting, Sabbath, and others, become a daily part of our lives, they further bind our hearts with God. Proverbs speaks of practicing these commandments saying, “When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life (Pro. 6:20-23).” May we cherish this gift of light and use it well, making our way home again.
