The Sunday Disconnect
“ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding ” —Proverbs 9:10, NIV “When we use the phrase ‘the fear of the Lord’ it does not mean that we should be terrified of God,” said the preacher. “We are talking about reverence, about respect.” The parishioner sitting halfway down the sanctuary breathed a sigh of relief. It was almost audible because it was being echoed by half of the rest of the congregation. They all “respected” God and kept Him in a special place in their lives. Every Sunday morning they would bring Him out, dust Him off, and let Him ride with them in the backseat of the car all the way to church. “The Hebrew has several meanings for the word ‘fear,’ as we have it here,” continued the speaker. “Most of us are not familiar with this third meaning, but it contains a wealth of meaning that we should think about. That word is ‘piety’ and it is here that we come to understand that our actions speak louder than words. T...