Poems

AM Psalm 26, 28 • PM Psalm 36, 39
Amos 7:10-17 • Rev. 1:9-16 • Matt. 22:34-46

Love
God
People
You

The poem above was inspired by today’s gospel reading from Matthew. Just four words for today’s Morning Reflection and I could leave it at that. However...

Sometimes I like to read what I already know by heart in a new way. It’s a trick I play on myself to find (or remember) what I value in the words. On my desk, I have a copy of Word Study Greek-English New Testament. It’s open to Matthew 22:36-37 in which Jesus answers the question, “What is the greatest commandment?”

To me, this literal, word-for-word English translation of the Greek, reads like a poem:

you will love Master
the God of you
in whole
the heart of you
and in whole
the soul of you
and in whole
the intelligence of you

this is the great and first command.

second, but like it;

you will love
the neighbor of you
as yourself.

That’s a whole lot to read in a brand new way!

I used to know a simple way to tell an old bible story to children. It was about Moses telling the people the best ways to live.* The best ways became rules; some called them commandments. Some said there were ten, others counted hundreds of rules and kept a close watch over each one and each time it was broken. People talk about the rules a lot—they even argue about them. I would tell the story and ask the children to just remember:

Love God
Love people
(and if a child ever asked why, I would say, )
Because
God loves
You.

*Based on Jerome Berryman’s Godly Play.

Written by Troy Schremmer

Troy works with preschool age children as an enrichment teacher in music and movement and has started volunteering to help in Children’s Sunday School.