Do You Hear What I Hear?

The bulldog girls know my voice. I am not sure about Fin. The cat side of his PuppyCat-ness does not allow him to acknowledge that he heard his name called, let alone that you are talking to him. It is funny, one week Joe had to work on a Sunday, so he watched the church service on line later in the day online. The minute I got up to preach, the girls came running and sat before the television to listen to my voice and apparently watch me. I often wonder what animals think when they see people or other animals on the television. Did they think I was in a box, just out of their reach? Did they somehow know that I was being televised from a previous recording in a previous space? Who knows, but no matter, they know my voice. They listen for my voice. They are drawn to my voice.  AnnaBelle never leaves my side and Lola tends to wander, but the minute I call, she runs right back. It is as if they want to hear every word I speak. Whether everyone knows it or not, your voice is recognized by someone, or some people. They listen for your voice. They look for you so they can hear what you have to say. It is a great responsibility.

Why is is a responsibility to be heard? When someone listens for your voice, they listen to your voice. They are paying attention to what is said by you. As I study I have settled into the Gospel of Matthew for a season. I feel led to hear the voice of Christ for now. I think of the scene that is set by Matthew in the beginning of the 5th Chapter, "One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them." This was a time when there was not event created on Facebook notifying people that Jesus will be holding a town meeting today. There was no television commercial to gather the crowds. The news of Jesus had traveled by word of mouth from those that had heard him teach before. They had shared enough bits and pieces of what he had said to make others want to come and hear him. When Jesus realized that people knew his voice, were drawn to his voice and were willing to listen, he made the time to pause his travels and sat down to teach them.

This passage is found immediately before what we know as the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus doesn't grab a pulpit, pass out bulletins and start with a great song or some good liturgy. He sits down and teaches. That word - teach - didasko is how Matthew would have penned it, means to hold discourse with others in order to instruct them. I often think of that idea and my voice. Is my voice used to teach or to preach? Jesus preached too. In the chapter before we see Jesus preaching about the repentance needed for the Kingdom of Heaven. The word preach, kerysso, means to proclaim with the authority of one that definitively knows the truth. Jesus would know the truth. Jesus is the truth. But then Jesus also teaches. Teaching is breaking down a concept into bite size portions, helping learners to understand a new concept. I can't help but notice how Jesus uses both methods depending on the situation. Using his voice he preaches turning from sin, then teaches them how and what that looks like...in detail...over a few days time. In three years, Jesus used his voice to teach many, many people about what religious leaders had tried to coerce people into doing for years by giving law.

Learning helps people understand, assimilate the knowledge into their daily lives, using the information in others contexts. Just giving soundbites of words, rules, and morays isn't formative to how one thinks and is easily forgotten. Without the context of knowledge and understanding, words are left up to debate and rejection. Do you use the power of your voice to teach, or to preach? To tell apple what to know, or do you teach them why what you preach is important? Is the instruction of truth you offer done only through the sharing of Facebook memes that must be taken at face value or do you research what you are sharing, or saying, enough to enter into a dialogue with others to enlist understanding? Do you have a deep enough understanding to help others learn and be transformed by the knowledge? It matters because people are listening to your voice. You have a responsibility.

Today:

• Watch what you say (post) are you teaching or preaching
• Take the time to learn. A good teacher is first a great learner.