In the rock opera Jesus Christ: Superstar, Mary Magdalene sings, "I don't know how to love him." You see, Christ had saved Mary from prostitution and demonic possession, and now she wanted to live to please Jesus, to offer him her lifelong devotion. But how could she express her love? In her earlier years she had easily known how to please men. But Jesus was different. What did he want from her? How could she serve him?

Isn't Mary like most of us? Here we are saved and wanting to be devoted to God, but not knowing how. We are so deeply grateful for all he has done for us, but we don't know how to respond.

Good news! In Mark 12:28-34 and Matthew 22:34-46, Jesus teaches us how to please God. He tells us how we can best serve him. He says, "You shall love the Lord your God."

In calling us …