How not to get lost

For students entering school this past week, a significant fear may be that they will get lost. Moses had this same fear for the people of Israel just before they entered the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 6:4-15 is part of a long speech Moses gave to address this. The Shema is the core of the Old Testament message for Jews even today. This passage became a spiritual home base for the people of Israel as they entered a land of comfort and bounty, a place where they might forget that it was upon God they depended. Pastor Phil Kniss noted the striking similarity between that context and ours. We are bombarded by symbols of what our culture values. We also need some rituals or symbols to keep us centered on God. Pastor Phil challenged us to find ways to remind ourselves of who we are and to whom we belong.