Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

John 12:1-8 INTRO: I know this is Palm Sunday and I read the wrong story However, this is like an introduction to this big occasion, because    Jesus came to stay in the home of his friends the day before his grand entrance    - by the time he reached Bethany, his ministry was winding down     ~ when we read to the end of this chapter,           We come to the end of Jesus’ service to the crowds (...

You may hear something today you haven’t heard before So I’m going to try to make this as clear as possible - we need to consider the larger context that surrounds and informs verses 12-14 • not only the context of this chapter, but in Jesus’ entire Sermon - the first big idea is this: • the key to interpreting these verses is love • it may not look like it at first, so we jump to other verses to...

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened Matthew 7:7-8 Intro: Before we explore what God has for us in these verses, We need to address a misconception about what Jesus is promising - reading these verses closely, something piqued my curios...

Judge not, that yo be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measured you use it will be measured to you. Matthew 7:1-2 Intro: Until recently, whenever I came to this chapter I felt lost I was able to follow the continuity of Jesus’ Sermon this far, - but I was not able to see how chapter 7 fit with what came before it • I assumed that our Lord chose to ad...

Did you know, many Christians avoid the Sermon On the Mount? The problem is that they misread the Sermon - they think Jesus demands a perfection that is beyond us • what actually happens in the Sermon is that it empowers us ◦ we learn the way of sincerity, integrity, and mercy • whatever else it might mean to be Christian, ◦ above all, it means to be a “good person” ◦ loving, caring, helping, serv...

Jesus is explaining and extending what he had said in verse 21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” In scripture, the heart can have several meanings - here, it isn’t the physical organ that pumps blood through our bodies • nor is it exclusively the seat of our feelings or emotions • here the heart is the central hub of our entire inner life ◦ our perspectives, perceptions,...

We’re still in the Sermon On the Mount, But I’m going to begin by reading a of couple verses from Psalm 139 - this is one of the very popular Psalms • its beautiful and haunting poetry are easy for us to follow ◦ and at the same time, carries us from heights of the heavens ◦ and depths of the ocean, to the abyss of our own souls • it begins: “ O LORD, you have searched me and known me!” ◦ but then...

This week I met with Harry Robinson – a few of you may know him He is a man of God and a visionary, and for awhile we worked together - he is also someone I love and respect • during our long, rambling conversation, Harry said something that woke me up • he said, “I’ve been finding beauty lately–everywhere” - it seems I need to be awakened to beauty • friends do this for me – though they don’t alw...

Jesus has given the world this incredible prayer Recited every day and prayed in almost every language, - it contains the essence of what everyone needs to say to God and ask of him • and yet, when Jesus taught this prayer to his disciples, ◦ it was in a side comment he felt needed to be included • up to this point, Jesus theme beginning in verse 1 was, "Don’t advertise your spiritual devotio...

The next point of Jesus’ sermon has to do with prayer I don’t think you need me to teach you anything about prayer - one year in Russia, an orphan tried to teach me the alphabet • but she gave up on me – there was just one letter, I could not pronounce well enough to please her ◦ I couldn’t even hear the sound she was making when she said the letter • prayer isn’t like that– prayer is the native l...

 Peter and Andrew were knee-deep in Lake Galilee. A school of fish swam near shore, so they threw a net into water, dragging out whatever it collected. Jesus, walking the shore that morning, stopped and called to them. When they turned and looked at him, he said, “Follow me.” It was as if they were waiting for that moment, because they dropped everything to go with him. As Matthew tells the story,...

Today we reach the end of this second part of the Sermon But not until Jesus takes us all the way to end of the trail we’re on - we've been following a theme that began with Jesus saying, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. . . . For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisee...

There’s a fateful story in the Bible that begins like this: It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David se...

You know the directory in the mall, with the little star that reads, “You are here”? Well, let's figure out where we are in Jesus' Sermon - we’ve been through the Beatitudes • we've made the transition from Jesus’ closing remarks to his declaration that he had not come "to abolish the Law or the Prophets,"   • but to empower them so they do in our lives what they’re meant...

 Approaching 2025, I found myself struggling with hope for the new year - I think of myself as an optimist • for instance, Divorce equals two Christmases and two birthdays - but today's world looks grim • vicious election cycle, out of control inflation, wars, many tragedies, etc. • I have been searching for hope 

We need to know where we are in Jesus’ Sermon Verses 17-20 are the heart of the Sermon (perhaps the heart of the entire Bible) - these verses hold the key to interpreting the rest of Sermon • unfortunately, many Christians read this passage, but don’t understand it - speculations have resulted in some big errors: • one, is that Jesus and St. Paul were not on the same page ◦ i.e., Jesus taught we’r...

Back in the days, when I was the pastor of a sizeable church, We would celebrate Christmas with big productions. One year, when the stage was crowded with props and children, the music still ringing in our ears, I went to the microphone with my Bible in hand. As I began to speak, a girl six or seven years old, who had been sitting on a step right in front of me, stood up. She turned around, and wi...

These last two Beatitudes on Jesus’ list are not easy to digest Jesus envisions a grim future for us – and if so, - we’re expected not only to survive it, but to rejoice and be glad • John Chapman was the Abbot of a monastery in Britain • he was also a spiritual director to others, especially through letter writing ◦ one man who wrote to him, wanted his insight as to ◦ how he could extricate himse...

The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares for this, or exhibits this, or results from this. C. S. Lewis, ". . . In the Christian story God descends to re-ascend. He comes down; down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity . . . down to the very roots and sea-bed of the Nature He...

Jesus is sitting on a mountain overlooking Sea of Galilee He is teaching a course on “Christian Spirituality” - we are now five weeks into his introduction: The Beatitudes • prior to teaching this course, Jesus had been announcing, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" ◦ the course he teaches is meant to prepare us for that kingdom ◦ the Beatitudes reveal characteristics of the abundant lif...

When I began preparing today’s talk, there was a sudden moment when I felt very small The spiritual wisdom of Jesus rivals every other enlightened text - even gurus, like Gandhi, who rejected Christianity have admired the Sermon • reading the words of Jesus, and trying to explain them to you, ◦ leaves me feeling inadequate and foolish ◦ like a four-year old who is told, “Explain quantum physics -...

Welcome back to Jesus’ Sermon On the Mount He begins with the Beatitudes – not to be confused with "benedictions" - they are more like a series of riddles • he describes conditions in which people are already blessed ◦ already acceptable to God and discovering the abundant life ◦ but what he says sounds like the opposite of abundant life • we would never tell a friend who is grieving, “Y...

Recently, I came across an interesting ad: The caption said, “Free AI Sermon Generator” “Free AI sermon outlines help you preach a confident, creative message. AI sermon starter ideas make your sermon fresh and relevant.” - I realized, from now on my life could be easy; for example, • last week I mentioned my frustration with “kingdom” (bringing to mind the idea of a nation with borders)

Last week I gave my introduction to the Sermon On the Mount This week we’re going to look at Matthew’s introduction - but first, I have a question – and it’s for me as much as anyone: Are we ready for this? - the Lord has made many changes in our exterior lives, • but the big challenge of the Sermon is what it does on the interior ◦ we’ve cleaned up our speech; what about our thoughts? ◦ we'v...