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If You Don’t Love Your Neighbor, Then You Don’t Love God

Today we’re going to do something different and begin with a Scripture reading from Mark 12:28-31.

²⁸One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^[e] ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^[f] ³¹The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[g]There is no commandment greater than these.”

³²“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. ³³To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

³⁴When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

—-Mark 12:28-31, The Bible

Just a reminder for all of us right now. No matter what side of the political, social or religious divide you may find your on, we all need to remember what Jesus called the greatest commandments, to love God and to love our neighbor.

Take a minute and look at your attitudes, words and behavior toward those you disagree with and may even consider your enemies. If we are going to call ourselves Christians, no matter what else your call yourself, we must live lives that follow the teachings of Jesus.

If you think the word neighbor refers only to your fellow church members or those you agree with please refer to Luke 10: 25-37 for the story of the good Samaritan. You may remember that Jews and Samaritans hated each other.

Do you have the courage to reach out to someone you may hate or even consider “evil?” I am preaching to myself here. I live surrounded by outspoken people with different political and religious beliefs than mine and I get very perturbed with them, but this is something we have to do It is our calling, we can’t ignore it and still call ourselves followers of The Christ.

Now let’s stand and sing the closing hymn with Rhonda Vincent. It’s a good one!

Just a Little Heart Attack

Okay, we all enjoyed this funny little video. But I hope you got the point. Heart disease in women is no laughing matter. In fact it is the #1 killer of women. For more information on heart disease in women go to https://www.goredforwomen.org/

Thought for Today

“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive.
He who is devoid of the power to forgive
is devoid of the power to love.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thought for Today

The real us is pure love, pure light
– don Miguel Ruiz

Thought for Today

Lendonwood Gardens Gate Copyright 2016 by R.A. Robbins — Lendonwood Gardens Gate
Copyright 2016 by R.A. Robbins

Today I choose the higher road –
the path of charity, acceptance,
love, selflessness, kindness.
– Jonathan Lockwood Huie

God loves us all

How to Love and be Loved

Thought for Today

“You are not white,
but a rainbow of colors.
You are not black,
but golden.
You are not just a nationality,
but a citizen of the world.
You are not just for the right or left,
but for what is right over the wrong.
You are not just rich or poor,
but always wealthy in the mind and heart.
You are not perfect, but flawed.
You are flawed, but you are just.
You may just be conscious human,
but you are also a magnificent
reflection of God.”
― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

When Life Unravels

Unraveled Copyright 2016 by R.A. Robbins — Unraveled
Copyright 2016 by R.A. Robbins

Artists have different ways of approaching their work. Some focus on the basic elements of art, line, shape and form, space, color and texture. Others choose to concentrate on creating works they think will have the best chance to sell. Still others are guided by inspiration, to create a thing of beauty or to express emotion, tell a story, speak their truth or support a cause. I tend to fall in that last group.

So it is only natural for me to turn to art in times of stress and distress. Over the course of the past year I have watched helplessly as the very fabric of our country and lives has started to unravel. Just before the election the idea of an unraveled art quilt came to me. There may be a series here because three different concepts came to me. I pray as I work on all my art quilts, but this one was especially infused with prayer.

There is still an element of hope in this work because not all has started to unravel yet. Some pieces are still tightly stitches together, some are being held together with embroidery stitches. The spider web is my way of showing respect to the beautiful crazy quilts created by women of the Victorian Era, which always included a spider web. Traditional quilts are finished with a fabric binding around the edges. This art piece will not have a binding at all. I think it is finished the way it is.

I like playing with the word “crazy” in art quilts. An earlier work that is also coming apart is called The World’s Gone Crazy, but I’m Okay. In this work the world is going crazy, but I am safe and sound in the center, surrounded by the White Light of God and the Prayer for Protection.