Tefillin looks so funny; they seem so weird and odd. But with tefillin, I commit to love my God. Hey!A fair amount of verses in the Old Testament are dedicated to the concept of remembering. These passages mostly refer to how God wants us to remember and not to forget who we are and whose we are. One passage about remembering that was included in Sunday's sermon has been a pivotal passage for God's people since the time of the Exodus:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)Lest they should forget, Jews today continue to take this passage seriously - and literally. One tradition that helps them do this is placing a mezuzah on the doorpost of their home.
This serves as a reminder, something they can see and touch every time they cross the threshold of their home, of God's commandments. Inside the mezuzah is a small scroll with this commandment from Deuteronomy included.
Posting something on your doorpost...not too unusual, not too obtrusive, not too difficult. But what's this about binding these words to your hand and forehead? Seems a bit unusual in 2013. One might be tempted to make this command multiple choice and let the mezuzah on the doorpost cover the requirement.
But that's not what the Bible actually says, is it? So, many Jews also use tefillin when saying their morning prayers - literally binding these words on their arm, hand and forehead. It's not a practice we're very familiar with, so I found a video to help us understand how this works:
Definitely still unusual. But also far more entertaining than one might suspect!
Although we share this scripture with the Jews, Christians do not typically follow these customs. But we, too, are called to remember. And we are the ones who are called to share our faith with the next generation. As one Jew writes:
When you put on tefillin, you'll be connecting to the Infinite, fulfulling G-d's will and reminding yourself to be a better person. But you'll also be doing something that your great-great-grandfather did in exactly the same way. And when you do it, you're increasing the chances that your great-great-grandchildren will want to do it too. Those straps don't connect you just to G-d; they connect you to your past, to your future, to your people.The Monday Connection: What helps remind you daily that you are a disciple of Jesus the Christ? What helped your ancestors remember? What traditions are you passing on to the next generation?
And...here's a reminder that the Bible in 90 Days begins this week! Classes don't start meeting until next week, but you will need to read the first seven days before your first class meeting. Visit our website to register and download reading charts for adults, youth and children.
Too bad the theology in the video is great and even the intent could be great. However, the quality of the video makes me giggle.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Personally I am drawn to the cloud of witness image as a way to connect to the past. I also participate in the National Day of Listening as an annual way to connect to my family tradition. And finally, I find that many of my prayers begin with recalling some biblical story of God's actions with creation.
This is a great question for me to think about. Thanks.