and let my declaration fill

During Rick Warren's prayer for President Obama yesterday, Warren quoted (in English) the most sacred of Jewish prayers -- Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad, "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God! The LORD is One!" Wondrous one and I always believed it would be awesome to be Jewish Christians -- how much cooler it would be to see all of the connections twixt the Jewish heritage and Jeshua/Jesus.

I once did a whole communion meditation on the connections between the Lord's Supper and a Passover seder. A quick google search reveals multiple connections to the words of Christ and to the Shema. In Mark12, when asked what the most important commandment was, Christ begins His answer with the Shema in v29 and links that to the first commandment. In John10, when Christ is almost stoned at the Feast of the Dedication, it is because He declares that "I and the Father are one" in v30. Many commentators believe that to be a clear allusion to the Shema, in addition to a declaration of His deity.

I've made fun of seminary before, but if there is a single reason to attend, it would be to learn Hebrew. Maybe that would be a great 2009 resolution...