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Morning Meditation During the Season of Lent
March 28, 2025
Reading: Mark 12:28–34
One of the scribes came near and heard Jesus and the Saducees disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ —this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Meditation by Glenn Beamer
Mark 12 is so frequently cited that it has perhaps become cliché. In modern times, Jesus’ admonition to love our neighbors as ourselves may conjure images of kind acts and friendly engagement, but it’s much more than that. Jesus calls us to thoughtful discernment and engaged service. We are motivated to recognize and develop the gifts God has given us. In turn, loving one’s neighbor requires something more than kind acts.
Upon his 1997 induction into the Television Hall of Fame, Fred Rogers of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood fame gave the following remarks:
…Those of us in television are called to be servants. It doesn’t matter what our particular job. We are chosen to meet the deeper needs of those who watch and listen – day and night.
…Life isn’t cheap. It’s the greatest mystery of any millennium, and television needs to do all it can to broadcast that. To show and tell what the good in life is all about.
But how do we make goodness attractive? By doing whatever we can to bring courage to those whose lives move near our own. By treating our neighbor at least as well as we treat ourselves and allowing that to inform everything we produce.
Fred Rogers’ words may appear quaint much like Jesus’ admonition to love our neighbors. But Mr. Rogers’ recommendations apply to all of us, whatever our vocation or profession. Parallel to Jesus call in Mark’s gospel, Mr. Rogers words are first a call to thoughtful discernment and meaningful service. Fred Rogers literally says we are called to be servants and then directs our service to meet the deeper, not surface, needs of others. His words are a serious call to value our own vocations, professions, and roles and to serve by creating courage so that others might value themselves and their God-given gifts.
Mark’s gospel is often noted for its brevity. The majesty of Fred Rogers’ s 3-minute speech is its simplicity and sequence –recognize the value and mystery of life, broadcast what the good in life is all about, and in so doing bring courage to those whose lives “move near our own.”
At the conclusion of his speech, Mr. Rogers completed his sequence by asking the scores of celebrities in the office to take 10 seconds in silence to think about and thank those whose lives moved near our own, who wanted us to be our best, and who served us by bearing witness to God. The audience fell silent; it was a powerful ending.
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