October 31, 2021 – Reformation Sunday


In Mark 12, Jesus invites us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as we love ourself. We often see the command or invitation to love God and neighbor as being about self-sacrifice. But is it really possible to love God or neighbor if we haven’t learned to love our own selves? Some of us live with such a sense of shame about ourselves that not only do we not love ourselves, but we don’t even allow ourselves to be seen by our family, friends, and church communities. We wear masks, afraid that if we show our true selves, our negative self image will only be confirmed by others. Listen as Brandeis Tullos explores Mark 12:28-34, and invites us to see more deeply and compassionately into Jesus’s invitation in a way that invites us to include ourselves and maybe even start there.