Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. - Deuteronomy 6:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 23, 2015): Deuteronomy 6

Donald Trump has accused George W. Bush for the events 9/11, Bush was the President and so, at least according to Trump, Bush is responsible. And brother Jeb has once again been forced into the position of being the protector of his brother. The accusation actually came last week, but the effects might be much more lasting. I am not sure if it is a Trump strategy, but the observer has to wonder how often Jeb can step into the fight between Trump and his brother’s legacy before the public begins to paint Jeb with the same brush as his unpopular brother. But what Trump is missing is that the damage that is being inflicted might go even deeper than just cutting Jeb Bush. The political picture right now is of a deeply fractured Republican Party, and it seems that George W. Bush is a big part of the fracture. The political reality is that accusations like Trump’s against the former president benefit the Democratic candidates much more than they benefit the Republican candidates, because all the accusations to is deepen the fracture.

It is not that the Democratic Party remains free of any splintering. Fracturing is one of the unfortunate realities of every nomination process. But at this moment in time the fractures that are present within the Democrats are not as deep as the self-infected cuts of the Republicans. That might change, but what is not going to change is that it will be the Political Party that can heal the fractures that is likely to form the next government. Unity is not an option, it is essential. And the party with the fewest fractures are much more likely to be able to heal them in time.

This passage is called Shema, which means Hear in Hebrew. This was a message that needed to be heard by the nation. It was a message of unity. God is one. This is the passage that is most often used against the ideas presented in the Christian Testament. God is not three, he is one – and we know this because the Shema says so.

But the absolute unity of God is something that the Christian Church needs to recover. The Unity of God is the strength in our faith. Yes, we believe in the Trinity, we believe that God is three – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But what we can’t lose in that statement is the absolute unity of God. Even as Christians, we serve the God of the Shema. And we openly affirm the statement. Hear O Church, The Lord our God, the Lord is most definitely one.            

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 7