after six weeks of preparations at re:fresh, the element kicked off this morning, surpassing all expectations in terms of attendance. what an amazing morning at st. peter’s all around … full congregations at both hours in the sanctuary, sunday school classes overflowing, and standing room only at the element…all good problems to have to deal with. god is at work.
our conversation this morning was based on jesus’ words in matthew 7:24-29. (sorry, the recording didn’t work this morning, so there is no accompanying podcast) where he speaks of the significance of solid foundations (or, in our case, good beginnings). “these words” referred to by jesus in verse 24 may apply generally to the sum total of jesus’ teaching, but more specifically point to the extended discourse of matthew 5-7, of which they are the concluding phrase. these three chapters are often referred to as the sermon on the mount.
a few misconceptions about this passage:
- the sermon on the mount wasn’t a sermon. forget the romantic notions of crowds lining the hills listening to jesus dramatically preaching (or for that matter, monty python’s take on the event – definitely not for the little ones, mom and dad). the text itself presents the passage as a more intimate interaction between jesus and the disciples (see matthew 5:1). while the crowd may have listened in, they were not the intended audience.
- it’s doubtful this discourse ever happened exactly as it is recorded. rather, what the gospel writer has most likely done is to compile jesus’ central teachings to his disciples in one place. far from diminishing the authority of the passage, this understanding only highlights the significance of these chapters as a pure, distilled collection of what jesus most often and with the greatest emphasis taught the disciples. these words, according to the gospel writer, are the core of jesus’ teaching and can be seen as representative of the whole.
we’ll spend the next several weeks talking about “these words,” not a bad place to start as we seek to build a community centered around christ. in preparation I invite you to read matthew 5-7 daily for the coming week (it won’t take long). listen for what jumps out at you. what surprises you? what seems to agree with or conflict with jesus’ words elsewhere? what seems too hard to swallow? it will be a great few weeks as we seek to be formed by “these words” of jesus.
questions for further reflection:
- picture some firsts in your life, either your own or those of a loved one. what was the sense of anticipation leading up to each one? what was the significance of the event itself? was it a disappointment?
- “you never get a second chance at a first impression.” “put your best foot forward.” what do you think of these cliches? have you ever had to overcome a bad first impression? describe that experience. how did you feel?
- what are the foundational elements of your life? what convictions, beliefs, values or commitments form the very core of your being and doing? how thoroughly can you articulate these?
- has your foundation ever cracked? describe that experience. has it been repaired? what was involved?
growing up in mississippi, the land of yazoo clay (i was 23 years old before i saw my first true basement), i’ve always known the problems cracked foundations lead to. repair is always expensive and seldom permanent. what if those foundations never cracked, if they had been built on solid ground, or if technology to overcome the challenges of yazoo clay were available? wouldn’t that be nice? wouldn’t it be nice to build on a solid foundation from the beginning?
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