02-21-26

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
February 21, 2026
I was the kid who absolutely bombed spelling bees or any memorization game. Even those matching card games left me on the losing end every time. To this day, that part of my brain does not work well. On the other hand, if you tell me a story, I can retell the basic storyline months later. A neurologist told me that my brain is wired for stories, explaining how a matching game and storytelling are two entirely different parts of the brain. 

Yet even though it does not come easily to me, I am trying to put some verses of scripture to memory. Our Lenten Theme this year is: A Grab Bag of Verses - Having a Good Word Close at Hand. Whether it be crisis or a moment of joy, grief or fear, there is something about having a phrase or sentence we can draw upon that provides hope, peace, encouragement, or connection. In Deuteronomy 6:6-9, a portion of scripture often referred to as the Shema, we read the following,

“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.”

At a time when a high percentage of people were illiterate and average folks didn’t have access to books (scrolls), memorization was important. Today, because more and more information is immediately accessible (I used to have 40 or more phone numbers memorized), we don’t memorize like we used to. I don’t want to sound like a fuddy-duddy, bemoaning the good old days, but I do believe there is something important about claiming portions of scripture that uplift and inspire us. We can even use them as a sort of prayer or mantra, especially in those moments when our prayers would be nothing but groans too deep for words (Romans 8:26).

Continue to speak your words of grace into my life, O Source of Strength and Inspiration. Instill within me a good word on which I can draw nourishment for my soul. Amen.
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