Jesus’ Model for Community: A Model For Praying and Acting

A PEOPLE OF SALT AND LIGHT LENTEN SERMON SERIES – SESSION 4 – March 25, 2012

Today’s is the final lesson in our four-part series, A People of Salt and Light. In this study, we have studied what Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, taught about being community.

We have heard Jesus say we are blessed by God’s presence during those times in life when we are depressed, or mourning a loss, or uncertain about something; when we are seeking, or showing compassion, or doing good, or getting along; and when we are living as we should. God is present with us at those times – and that is a blessing!

We heard Jesus say that with this blessing comes responsibility on our part – a duty and task to be the salt and the light to the world that we already are – a gift from God, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

And we heard Jesus say that living in community requires living in ‘right relationship’ – living a ‘perfect’ life – a life in which we all matter, in which we all make a difference, and in which we are all the church together. His vision for the church is one of radical love, based on the great commandment to love God with all our heart, mind, and spirit – and to love our neighbor as our self. And to be that church we must get along with one another, stay united, be ourselves, keep our promises, be honest, and return only good for the bad.

Jesus’ vision of the church’s faithfulness is not one of rigid obedience to rules and regulations; but of genuine devotion and integrity in action. Disciples of Jesus Christ do not engage in acts of worship and ministry for the purpose of attracting the attention of either God or other human beings. For example salt best fulfills its purpose when it does not draw attention to itself, but when it enhances the taste of food. And light performs properly not when it draws attention to itself, but when it reveals what otherwise would be hidden in darkness.

How does “the practice of Christian faithfulness” affirm or change your understanding of Christian life?

Christian life is not really so much about rules. I think faithfulness to Christ is about being true, as a community of faith, and as individuals, to who we were created to be, or in other words, to be true to our purpose. As a student, the most important things I learned in art class, or any other class for that matter, were the concepts “truth to material” and “form follows function.” (‘Truth to materials’ says that the material that goes into an artwork has its own nature and innate self – stone should look like stone, wood like wood, etc. and in each, and from within is a certain something waiting to immerge. ‘Form follows function’ then says that how something looks results from what its intended use is to be). I think these two things apply to all aspects of life. Anyway, they have guided my work throughout life – as an artist, a teacher, and as a pastor. It has also shaped my ‘being’ as a husband, a father, and a friend. ‘Truth to material” – being true to what was meant by God to be – is crucial.

In Matthew 6:1-18, Jesus warns his followers about their acts of faith. He understands our capacity to get it wrong. By citing the three pillars of Jewish devotion, Jesus contrasts distorted and healthy practices of almsgiving, praying, and fasting. The repetitious patterns in the texts underscore the difference between actions that are self-serving and acts of faith done in secret to please God and help those in need.

The real purpose of the church’s acts of faith is not the individual’s own spiritual progress, but participation in God’s mission. True Christian faithfulness keeps the focus on God and the neighbor in need and avoids a righteous self-absorption that is so common in the contemporary church. God doesn’t just love me, God loves everyone; Jesus’ death on a cross wasn’t just for me, it was for everyone inside and outside these walls; being a Christian is not about being a better person but about being a community focused on and living for God.

In the Lord’s Prayer, what are the issues of the kingdom? How does this prayer inform what the concerns of the church are to be? How does what we pray for in this prayer affirm or challenge our church’s priorities?

To me, some of the issues of the kingdom found in the Lord’s Prayer are that there are differences between what the world has become (on earth) and what God has created it to be (as it is in heaven); we are not who we might be. Jesus taught his disciples to pray that God’s “kingdom come” and God’s “will be done” in their life as a community. Prayer is important. It concerns God that we do – and it should concern us as a church as well. 

The Lord’s Prayer provides a vision for the life of faith of the Christian community. It focuses the communities attention on the primary issues of the kingdom: the holiness of God’s name, the appearance of God’s gracious will in human affairs, and the basics needed for life and community: daily bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from temptation.

What would a congregation be doing if the Lord’s Prayer more fully shaped its praying and its acting?

N. T. Wright wrote (in The Lord’s Prayer as a Paradigm of Christian Prayer),  “Seen with Christian hindsight … the Lord’s Prayer becomes an invitation to share in the divine life itself. It becomes one of the high roads into the central mystery of Christian salvation and Christian existence: that the baptized and believing Christian is (1) incorporated into the inner life of the triune God and (2) intended not just to believe that this is the case, but actually to experience it.” In other words, as a community of faith we are to live in an interconnected, unified relationship experiencing the ‘inner life’ – the holy life – of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The importance given to the Lord’s Prayer does not mean it is to be a substitute for other acts of faith. Rather this prayer refocuses the community’s vision, empowering its participants in an active life of faith. The Lord’s Prayer binds the surprising graciousness of God to the community’s urgent action.

What insights have you gained about the church living out a vision of Christian faithfulness

We have been invited to live out Jesus’ vision, – which is, in fact, God’s vision – for us as a faith community to be salt and light to world. Based on his Sermon on the Mount and The Lord’s Prayer, and as community of faith like, we are to be faithful to who we are and why we are here – which is to help to bring about the kingdom of God to a world, and those around us, in need of nourishment, forgiveness, and release from that which would separate us from God. The bottom line is we are to live out God’s will for us, as a church, rather than our own. May the Father’s will for His church be done! Amen

Jesus’ Model for Community: Jesus’ Vision of Right Relationships

A PEOPLE OF SALT AND LIGHT LENTEN SERMON SERIES – SESSION 3 – March 18, 2012

 

Thus far in our focus on the Sermon on the Mount, we have heard Jesus say we are blessed by God’s presence during our times of depression, mourning, uncertainty, seeking, compassion, doing good, getting along and living as we should. God is present with us during such times – and that is a blessing. And with the blessing comes responsibility on our part –to be the salt and the light to the world that we already are – a gift from God, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Today, in our third lesson, we hear what Jesus says about the necessity of our being a community living in ‘right relationships.’

 In Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus provides his interpretation of several key commandments in the Jewish Law (found in the Torah – first five books of the Old Testament) There is a sharp contrast between his interpretation (the way of radical love) and widely accepted understandings of first century Judaism. Radical love:           

            1) avoids the expression of anger and name calling that destroys relationships

            2) avoids the willful lusting that turns another human being into a sexual object

            3) recognizes that divorce itself ruptures a God-established relationship

            4) invites simple honest speech a necessary ingredient for trustworthy relationships

            5) encourages us to return good for evil in all relationships

            6) invites us to engage enemies by undertaking positive actions toward them

Describe the vision of reality that Jesus is communicating with these statements.

I’m hearing an altogether different reality for us being expressed by Jesus than that of the world. It’s a reality in which we are not to be angry with others for something they have done or not done, or say bad things about one another, a reality that to be reconciled with God, we must first reconcile ourselves with one another. It’s a reality in which we are to not to desire or long for someone or something other than what God provides. Resist it at all cost! It’s a reality in which divorce is not to be taken lightly. It’s a reality in which we always speak the truth, eliminating any doubt or need to swear by ‘this or that’ – where our yes is yes and our no is no. It’s a reality in which we aren’t always trying to ‘get even’ but instead are working to get along – even if it means giving in at times. And it’s a reality in which we love and pray for those who hate and would harm us. Jesus said, “Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The life Jesus is calling us to is one of perfection – perfect in God, not perfect as God. This is his vision for our ‘right relationship’ with one another that leads to a ‘right relationship’ with God.

In doing so, Jesus provides six examples of right relationships. These examples offer a guide for disciples to live in a manner compatible with Jesus’ vision of reality. They are worthy of our attention and reflection. Yet they are difficult. So, -

Which of the six examples of radical love do you find the most challenging? Why? Which would be most challenging for this congregation? Why?

Even if we are able to live as Jesus suggests most of the time, some may be more challenging than others. For me over the years, a most difficult thing has been not to get angry. Sometimes people upset me and I find myself saying and doing things that are not helpful. I don’t throw things, but I do brood and think ‘evil thoughts’ even though I seldom say them. I’ve gotten better about controlling my anger but I’ve not quite reached my destination in “going on to perfection” as John Wesley would say.

Most important, what Jesus’ teaches in Matthew 5:21-48 invites us to consider how we should act in the real situations of daily life –as individuals and as a church. The six things to focus on are key to our wellbeing and witness to outsiders.

As a church, we should practice radical love. We should avoid being angry at one another or doing anything that might destroy a close, caring relationship. We shouldn’t want to be something we’re not and instead seek to discover what God intends for us. We should see the need to be one body and to work together. We should be honest with ourselves. We should ‘turn the other cheek.” And we should show kindness toward those we perceive as enemies. I suppose we should also do those things as individuals, don’t you?

Jesus has also instructed in Matthew 22:34-40 that we are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ How a community responds to Jesus’ radical call to love reveals whether or not its members truly understand the character and purpose of Jesus’ teaching and ministry.

How does Matthew 22:34-40 influence your understanding of Jesus’ view of right relationships?

What would it take for us to do that? It would take all those things Jesus mentioned. It would take desire and focus on our part. And I think it might take strength and a power beyond anything we have.  To be in right relationship with God and one another, as a community, requires God. And it requires a desire on our part for such a relationship.

Jesus’ vision of community included radical love – loving God and our neighbor as our self. It involves our getting along with one another, our remaining united, our being who we are, our keeping our promises, our being honest, and our giving the best in us.

How might our congregation more fully manifest the vision of community?

I think, as a church, we have lived out this vision of community to a large degree, yet like all churches everywhere, we still have a ways to go to fulfill the vision God has for us. Our love for God should be ‘seen’ – it should be obvious to those in our community that this is why we exist. What we do as a community of faith should be for others rather than for ourselves, and in doing so, it is done for God.

From the very beginning, the church has been a community. The gospel message could not have spread and gone viral, as it did, had it not been a community striving to fulfill Jesus’ vision for it. As followers of Christ, our strength also is in community, in connected-ness, and in relationship.  

What insights have you gained about the church as a community living in right relationships?

A community living in right relationship is one living a ‘perfect’ life – a life in Christ. It’s not easy, but that is exactly what Jesus calls us to. One of the insights we may have gained about the church is that all of us matter. We all make a difference, but only if we are, in fact, the church together – a church of radical love, based on the great commandment to love God with all our heart, mind, and spirit – and to love our neighbor as our self. And to be that church we must get along with one another, stay united, be ourselves, keep our promises, be honest, and return only good for the bad.

May we do so, by God’s grace. 

Jesus’ Model for Community: A Church Living For the World

 

A PEOPLE OF SALT AND LIGHT LENTEN SERMON SERIES – SESSION 2 – March 11, 2012

There is always a danger of any faith community becoming inward-focused and prone to withdraw from the world. To counter this tendency, Jesus’ teachings in the second part of ‘The Sermon on the Mount’ offers two images that emphasize the world wide and world-affirming mission given to the Christian community. He says, “You are the salt of the earth”...and… “You are the light of the world.”

What do you think it means to be the “salt of the earth?” What does it mean to be “the light of the world?”

We might think of the salt on the kitchen table that is used to season food. Some have suggested God then has placed us here to season the earth with the salt of Christianity. Others have provided a different analogy. In Jesus’ time, salt was also used as a preservative to cure meat so it did not spoil (no refrigeration back then) as well as a seasoning to bring out its flavor. And still others have said ‘to eat’ salt with someone was to be bound together in loyalty.

When it comes to light, we might think of it functioning to uncover or expose the darkness or to show everything that’s around us. In the first century, when you traveled out away from the cities, no light could be seen for hundreds of miles. Imagine how dark it must have been. Christ called us to be his light in the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden and to shine in the dark ‘out of the way places’, those areas can see that light clearly. We are to rise high above the conflict of the world so all the world can see the light of Jesus.

The community’s mission as salt and light is a gift of God’s Grace. It is a new identity conferred on the community by its baptism in Christ. “You are (all of you together) the salt… and the light.”

How is a faith community’s mission a gift? How is it a task?

The church is the body of Christ in the world. Its mission is to be the salt and the light of the world. We believe that when we live out the Kingdom life, Christ lives in us and his light ‘shines through us.’ His light has been transferred to us. It is both a gift, undeserved by us, and a task, expected of us. It is who we are. It is important to note, that if we are truly followers of Jesus, we cannot excuse ourselves from being who we are. We cannot say, “Thanks, but no thanks.” We cannot refuse to be salt.  It is our mission, whether we like it or not – and that can definitely make it a task.

The verbs Jesus uses indicate a current reality. “You, all of you together are already the light of the world, the salt of the earth.” Our being salt and light then is the result of our baptism. It’s the covenant made when becoming a member of the church universal, and part of the body of Christ. Being salt or light is not something we will be – after we have learned enough or done enough or done enough – it is what we already are as followers of Jesus. It is why Jesus left us the Holy Spirit.

If a community is dramatically formed by what it does, what are some of the works that currently shape the congregation? What kind of witness do these works present to the world?

Okay, so when have we – as a church – been salt and light for the world, in the sense described or in the way Jesus has called to be? Might it be in what we have done for children (Sunday school, after-school JAMS or Kid’s Hangout, or summer Vacation Bible School) and youth (Confirmation, fellowship activities, or discussions of the Bible and life issues for teens? Could it be in our involvement or volunteer work in the community? Or is in our helping and caring for persons in need throughout the world? This is only a part of who we are as a church, no doubt you can think of more ways the church has been a witness to the gospel message this past year?

Jesus’ follow up comments for both images emphasize the tragedy of salt that no longer serves as salt, and the absurdity of a city on the hill being hid or a lamp being put under a bushel rather than on a stand. Put positively, salt is to do its salting and light is to do its illuminating. So it is with the community of Christ. It has a unique purpose and usefulness. If it does not fulfill this purpose, it is of no use.

How could our congregation live more fully as salt and light for the world?

Jesus says we ARE the salt of the world and the light of the world. That is powerful stuff! We can only hope that is the case. Then, after a short pause, he says, “But if salt has lost its taste, what good is it?” “What good does it do to light a lamp and then put a bushel bucket over the top of it to cover up the light?” Uh, oh! That can deflate our balloon and snap us back to reality. There is probably room for any congregation to live more fully as salt and light for the world. So what are some of things we could do? 

Jesus is also concerned about the doing of his words, not just the hearing of them. He says, “Let you light shine before others, that they might see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” It is a community’s good works that gives witness to a gracious God and through which the community itself is shaped. A community of faith is dramatically formed by what it does – and what it does not do.

What insights have you gained about the church as a community of salt and light?

Last week, in the Beatitudes, we heard Jesus say: “Blessed are  ‘…the poor in spirit, …those who mourn, …the meek, …those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, …the merciful, … the pure in heart, …the peacemakers, and …those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” In other words, “Blessed are those who have the Spirit of the God within them” – not because of something they have done or will do, but because of what God has done and will do.

Today we have learned that for the church this blessing comes responsibility –to be the salt and the light to the world that we already are – a gift from God, empowered by the Holy Spirit. In other words, Christ is calling us to be who we are. If the love of Christ is in our hearts, then let that love shine so everyone can see it. Don’t hide the light when someone needs it. Let it shine. When there is a need in our community and the church can do something about it, we aren’t to keep our light to ourselves. Jesus calls us to be who we are – to be real, to be genuine, to allow whatever is real in our hearts to lead us and to be a catalyst and transforming force in the world in which we live.

As a church, Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” We can do that! And when we are connected to that power from God, we are blessed. Amen.

Jesus’ Model for Community: The Blessings of the Reign of God

A PEOPLE OF SALT AND LIGHT LENTEN SERMON SERIES – SESSION 1 – March 4, 2012

‘When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them…’

As Jesus gives his ‘sermon on the mount,’ who is present, where are they, what are they doing, and who is being taught?

John Wesley, in his notes on the text, gives us an image of people coming from every direction to see and hear Jesus. So, Jesus “walks up into the mountain” (he goes up on a high hillside) where there is room for all these people to hear what he has to say. There are probably people from every walk of life there, poor and rich and in-between, those wanting to believe and the curious, those desperately seeking change and those more comfortable with life as it were. Jesus is there, with his disciples close by, and the crowd in a place where all can hear him because everyone there wants to learn from him. They don’t want to miss a thing he says. Jesus is not teaching just a few disciples on the hillside, his message is for the whole crowd straining to hear what he has to say.

The Sermon of the Mount begins with the Beatitudes. Jesus teaches that the community lives under God’s gracious blessings: “Blessed are…”

 ‘… the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ‘… those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

 ‘… the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

 ‘… those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

 ‘… the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

 ‘… the pure in heart, for they will see God.

 ‘… the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

 ‘… those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Which of the beatitudes strikes you or catches your attention? What questions do you have?

I imagine a different part of the Beatitudes stands out each time we read or hear them, depending upon what we are dealing with at the time. Keep in mind the people there that day also had different things going on in their lives. Where they were coming from and where they were at in life might be different from the person sitting or standing next to them. Some needed their belief strengthened, some were grieving a loss, and some may have been looking for justice; some needed to forgive, some to make peace, and some relief from a heavy burden that was wearing them down. Some felt far away from God and others wanted to be better people. We have all felt those things at one time or another, haven’t we? Isn’t it comforting that God is present with us at such times? It is especially then we find ourselves closest to God – that’s the blessing! So, which beatitude do you identify with most today or catches your attention and what questions might you have?

The Beatitudes describe the way of life of the discipleship community – those who follow Jesus. Jesus says persons whose attitudes and activities diverge markedly from those commonly assumed and celebrated by the world are ‘blessed.’ (the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the ones hungering and thirsting after righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, makers of peace, and those persecuted for the sake of righteousness)

How do the attitudes and activities described in the beatitudes compare to how society today views what it means to be “blessed?”

As individuals, society’s view of being blessed is being successful, having money, a good job and family, no health problems, living in a safe place, and things like that. Likewise the world’s understanding of success or ‘blessedness’ can carry over to a church or a community of faith, like ours. Society says successful churches, whatever that means, whether its more people, an abundance of programs, a large building with stained glass windows, or a budget that is ‘in the black’, are blessed. Is that how we have come to define what being blessed means, how successful we have become? Is it then that God is closest to us? Or might it be when our need is greatest? Jesus teaches that we are blessed when the things we so desperately need or seek are left up to God, knowing that our efforts are insufficient. That’s my thoughts, what are yours?

All ‘beatitudes’ (eight of them) describes the character of the faith community that believes in God and trusts God’s ways. Such a community is to practice a new way of seeing and acting (a contrast community).

Why might it take a community to live the beatitudes?

I love to be off to myself, away from everything. It’s a time for thinking about things or just focusing on the moment. Did you notice I said “off to myself” not off by myself” Yesterday afternoon was an example of that; Samantha and I were in Marion working on a mosaic in a room full of five year olds at an ‘artsy’ Birthday party and a half dozen college students on an afternoon adventure. It was a spiritual experience. I wasn’t ‘by’ myself, but I was very much ‘to’ myself. Was I closer to God then, probably not! To be honest - I have never heard God’s voice, except in the voice of others; I have never seen God, except in the faces of others. I have never felt God’s touch, except in the touch of others. How then can those described by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, those around us who desperately seek God’s presence in their life, be blessed if not through our voices, through our faces, or through our touch? That’s why I think it takes a community to live the beatitudes. What about you?

In its values, priorities, and behaviors a “contrast community” offers a life-giving alternative to the values, priorities, and behaviors of the world around it.

Is the church a “contrast community” and if so, why?

The world values success and money. Its priorities seem to be the status quo and looking after one’s own interest. It behaves as if it’s every man and woman for them self and God looks out for those who look out for themselves. Churches can be so like the world – with our budgets, how we get things done, and even our rhythms of life. What if, though, through this church – “God took up space in our world” as Stanley Hauerwas says? What if we realized that we’re called to embody, on earth, a new way of life that demonstrates the gospel: that in Jesus, God has empowered us, through the Spirit, and as a “contrast community,” to be part of the worldwide witness to the Kingdom of God?

“Living As Disciples”

February 26, 2012

Romans 5:1-5; Matthew 11:28-30

Someone once said, "Lent is a time to choose who we will be and whose we will be."

During the winter of 57–58 A.D., Paul was in the Greek city of Corinth where he wrote the longest single letter in the New Testament, his letter to the Romans. Like most of his letters, it was written in response to a church’s need or crisis. And it is believed to be the last written of the seven New Testament letters that are attributed to Paul. Many consider Roamns a summary of his thought, composed toward the end of his ministry. In Romans there appears to be no specific crises or contemporary, as in his letters to other churches, but rather broad questions of theology. What the church in Rome needed most then might very well have been answers to what it meant to be a church “living as disciples.”

So Paul wrote to the church in Rome, saying: “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” The early church in Rome needed assurance, it needed encouragement, and it needed a sense of direction. And through this letter Paul delivered. But this church also needed to know what living as a disciple of Christ would actually mean to them. So Paul reminded them that their peace with God, came through “our Lord Jesus Christ.” In other words, they were to look to Jesus for direction when it came to “living as disciples.”

In some ways, we may be like that early church in Rome, needing encouragement and assurance, a sense of direction, or to know what it means to be “living as disciples.” Paul says look to Jesus! Okay then, what do we know about Jesus?

Let’s start with the fact that throughout his ministry, Jesus is sympathetic and compassionate. When hearing of a friend’s death, Jesus wept. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

So if we look to Jesus as portrayed in Matthew 11, we see him recognizing the difficulties of our human life, the heavy burdens we carry, and offering relief. Jesus is aware, responsive, and relevant. He not only proclaims a promise but also gives a summons to a new relationship with God. It is to be a relationship of community expressed through discipleship. It is a new way of living that includes – a life of gratitude and obedience, of service and sacrifice, of celebration and commitment, and of freedom and responsibility. I think Paul would agree that this is what “living as a disciple” is all about.

If the early church in Rome was going to succeed in sharing the gospel message – if it truly “hoped to share the glory of God” – if it was going to succeed at making disciples, it was going to have to begin “living as disciples.” I think that is true of us as well. If we are succeed in our mission of “making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,” our focus and attention will likewise need to be on Jesus’ teaching and his model for community.

Starting next week, in a four-week sermon series and group study entitled “A People of Salt and Light” we will look at his teaching and model for community. Hopefully this will help us in our current journey to discover and embody God’s vision and calling for our church. And over a period of four weeks, we will consider the nature and purpose of Christian community in light of Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.

It is the Sermon on the Mount that provides some of Jesus’ most direct teachings about life together as disciples. The goal of this series will be that, as a congregation, we might tap into the power of Jesus’ words as together we consider the question, “What would it mean if contemporary Christians intentionally engaged in Jesus’ teachings as a model for community, as a guide to their life together?”

The Sermon on the Mount is aimed at a community of faith, much like ours, and is meant to give guidance – how we might live as a church – if we were to follow Jesus. We are that community of faith. In the Sermon on the Mount, a certain way of life is being laid out for us. We are not only to hear what Jesus says but to live it as well. Yet to do so may mean our discovering once again who we are as a church. Frederick Buechner, writes, "If you want to know who you are, watch your feet. Because where your feet take you, that is who you are."  So, where are our feet taking us, as a church? Living as disciples may require an involvement and commitment greater than ever before.

It is my hope that everyone who is part of our church would be present in worship during these four Sundays, and that many of you will take part in a study (either immediately before or after worship or another time during the week). Our study together will allow us to discuss and respond to questions from the message, questions like: “Why does it take a community to live the beatitudes?” “How can we as a church live more fully as salt and light for the world?” “What is Jesus’ view of community in right relationship?” “What would we be doing if the Lord’s Prayer more fully shaped our life as a congregation?”  And in the end, we would have been able to determine “who we will be and whose we will be."

In Beyond Words, Frederick Buechner wrote: "And when Jesus comes along saying that the greatest command of all is to love God and to love our neighbor, he too is asking us to pay attention. If we are to love God, we must first stop, look, and listen for him in what is happening around us and inside us. If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say like artists, we must see not just their faces, but the life behind and within their faces. Here it is love that is the frame we see them in."

Together, Jesus’ teaching will strengthen you. Together, you will become a community committed to the gospel message, and together, you will find yourselves “living as disciples.”