Friday in the Third Week of Lent.

"Grant us, O Lord our Strength, a true love of your holy Name; so that, trusting in your grace, we may fear no earthly evil, nor fix our hearts on earthly goods, but may rejoice in your full salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."


Psalm 81:8-14, Hosea 14:1-9, and Mark 12:28-34

I was thinking this morning about a professor of mine from college. Before he was a professor of mine he was a frequent customer of ours at the sporting goods store where I worked. Before he was "Dr. Slater" to me, he was simply, "Thomas". He'd come in, check out the club selection, tell us of his latest round, and we'd all share a few laughs. He'd be on his way, and he'd come back a few days later with some wisdom from the golf course, check a few more clubs, and the routine would continue. He was a great customer to have, and we were always excited to see him.

As a religion major at UGA, I took a few classes with Dr. Slater. He loves teaching, and he loves his students, to the point that he had no problems noting to the whole class the coincidence of me and my girlfriend (now my wife) both being absent one day. Because of his physical stature, Dr. Slater could be an intimidating presence to folks who did not know him well. His love for his students, though, made us want to do well in his class. Taking the class with a few friends, we were terrified that if we didn't do well on a test or paper, then his disappointment in us would have been worse than receiving a bad grade.

In class he'd ask a question. Sometimes he'd call on someone; sometimes he'd wait for someone to answer. If the answer was what he was looking for, his response would be, "You are not far from the kingdom." To receive that blessing from Dr. Slater was like an anointing. I have a friend who I'm sure would still say that's one of his proudest moments from college. As I think about it, though, that friend may have actually gotten "in the kingdom."

Jesus says those same words to the man in the Gospel reading for today, even though it's Jesus's own answer that the scribe is affirming. He says these words to the man, though, because the man recognizes that loving God and living how God calls him to live is more important than sacrifices and burnt offerings. Loving God and loving neighbor as we love ourselves draws the kingdom of God closer than any sacrifice or offering ever could.

Because of the love that God has for us, we want to do what's right. We want to do good because we know that God loves us. We want to please God. When we do these things, the kingdom of God draws ever closer, and we are not far from the kingdom.