Sermon on the Mount

What? Me Angry?

3 Comments / Fellowship of Presbyterians, PCUSA, Sermon on the Mount / By /

Last night’s Bible study class (which I lead weekly) continued in the Sermon on the Mount to the topic of “Murder Management.” Jesus raised the bar on the fifth commandment, “Do not murder” to include the avoidance of anger: 21“You have heard that it was said to an older generation, ‘Do not murder,’ [that is, criminal killing] and ‘whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults a brother* will be brought before the council, and whoever says ‘Fool’ will be […]

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The Law of “Doing” and “Being”

1 Comment / PCUSA, Sermon on the Mount, Theological Reflection / By /

My weekly discussions around the Sermon on the Mount continue to stimulate application within the PCUSA context. This week’s topic was “The Fulfillment of the Law” (Matthew 5:17-20). Jesus taught: 17Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them. 18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter will pass from the law until everything takes place.19So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do

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Please Pass the Salt

Leave a Comment / Parnell v. San Francisco, PCUSA, Sermon on the Mount, The Missional Church, Theological Reflection / By /

In this week’s Sermon on the Mount Bible class on Matthew 5:13-16, the discussion revolved around the uses of salt and the Christian calling Jesus was talking about when he said, “You are the salt of the earth.”  It came down to two categories: salt is good as a flavor-enhancer, and salt is good as a decay inhibitor. One class participant is a fire fighter who cooks for his company and at home for his wife. He delighted us with a description of how salt makes another food taste more like itself. The point of salting, he said, was not

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Missional Diaspora Could Make the Difference

3 Comments / PCUSA, Sermon on the Mount, The Missional Church / By /

Yesterday I proposed the possibility that a dispersal of Presbyterians might be the right thing to happen, if such a diaspora scatters the seed of the gospel on new soil (Matthew 13:3-9). But I can hear the complaints of the saints (“saints” in the New Testament refers to anyone who believes and trusts Christ): “I don’t want to be scattered in the world in which I live; it’s not safe out there! I would rather stay in the confines of the church and build it up and bring people to it.” If this actually worked in today’s world, I would

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The Essentials: A Simple Faith Is Enough

6 Comments / PCUSA, Sermon on the Mount, Theological Reflection / By /

The Word of God dominating my thoughts these days is Matthew 5 through 7, Jesus’ “sermon on the mount.” Two eager groups meet— one on Tuesday night and one on Wednesday morning— to discuss the text one week and report back the following week on how that Word was integrated into real life. It is a challenge to write a blog post between those two class sessions; and yet, this week, the topic of the Beatitudes is full of inspiration and relevance for PCUSA application.  Dallas Willard, in chapter 4 of The Divine Conspiracy, has a most interesting discussion of

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