Thursday: A Devotional Response

A couple years ago, I worked at Camp Timber-lee in East Troy playing drums in their summer band. Being right out of college, I was so excited to play drums and be at camp all summer. About a month before campers came, we as a staff had two weeks of training. For those two weeks, a speaker came who would lead us through a passage of scripture and spiritually shape our summer of ministry. That summer I remember the speaker read Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which is known as the Shema; the phrase “Hear O Israel,” which is the first passage we read today. The Shema is part of the Jewish morning and evening prayers, twice a day they pray, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” 

As we went through these two weeks together in scripture, we as a camp staff would recite the Shema at our morning and evening sessions together. At first, I thought it was really repetitive and did not really have much of an impact at all. But then as we started to do it more, I began to see how powerful it was that 100 of us staff members were all saying the same words, at the same time, in the same room. It may me feel unified with my Jewish brothers and sisters who for centuries have recited those powerful words. 

In our passage from Deuteronomy this week, we are invited to be one with so many other believers and recite the Shema. But in our passage in Matthew we are invited to see that when Jesus was baptized we see every element of the Trinity represented; Jesus Christ being baptized, the Holy Spirit illuminating Jesus’ face, and God the Father saying,“This is my son, with whom I am well pleased.” 

In our divided times in our nation and in our hearts, let us appreciate the fact that our God is one, and all unity falls under His unity within Himself.

by Gabriel Douglas