Six weeks; that’s the number of Sundays left for me to torment you. So, what to talk about in worship? I guess I am reacting to the politicization of, well, everything in our culture.
Poor Jesus. He has clear instructions for the community of faith formed in anticipation of the Kingdom of Heaven coming near. Yet many people have no idea of those instructions. So, we rely upon a strange brew of our own prejudices, political affiliations, fears, and morally bankrupt leadership to form a community in which Jesus approves of us and wants the other side destroyed.
My final sermon series will go to the source document in the gospel of Matthew. We will spend our time listening to Jesus as he gives us the Sermon on the Mount. We’ll also listen to Jesus from Luke’s perspective as Jesus delivers his Sermon on the Plain.
We will spend our time looking at the Beatitudes this Sunday. They are a recruitment poster for the folks Jesus welcomes into the kingdom. What are the entrance requirements? We’ll take a listen and see if Jesus is talking to us.
As the next six weeks unfold, we’ll look at Jesus’ understanding of true righteousness along with some cautions regarding the practice of our faith. We’ll hear him tell us that we can be free of worry if we chose to be. We will understand that the new kingdom of Heaven is not the homogeneous bunch we believe it should be. Jesus invites a whole motley of folks to join the kingdom. It’s precisely the welcoming of others not like us that is a hallmark of the Kingdom.
We’ll conclude by recognizing that it’s not enough to hear Jesus’ words. Nor is it enough to understand them. We must internalize them and do them. If the authentic kingdom of heaven forms, it will be a game changer. Let’s change the world together.
See you Sunday,
Paul
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