Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God. . . .

— Deuteronomy 6:4-5

I worked in a grocery store when I was in high school. Back then, the prices of products were on stickers, and a cashier had to key the numbers in. Sometimes the sticker would be missing, and the cashier would call for a price check. It was part of my job to run to the shelf where the product came from and find the price.

On busy Saturdays with lots of customers and cashiers, it often happened that a cashier would call my name several times before I would hear it. I thought something was wrong with my hearing. So I went to an ear doctor and discovered that my hearing was fine. The problem was not with my ears; it was me. That experience showed me how easily I could tune out important messages.

Today is the day for Sabbath rest and worship. It is a day to pause, quiet ourselves, and listen for God’s gentle, life-giving voice.

Today’s passage from Deuteronomy 6, called the “Shema” in Hebrew, was often recited by God’s people several times a day. Notice how it begins: “Hear, O Israel. . . .” This can be a helpful reminder to pay attention to what we may have tuned out.

Let’s open our ears today to the message that God is our God, the one true God, who loves us. And may we hear the invitation again to love God with our whole being.

Lord, God, it’s easy for me to grow inattentive to your voice. Tune my entire life to your voice of love and speak to me today, I pray. Amen.