Online Contemplative Worship Blog

 The Lord's Prayer We're half way through the Sermon on the Mount. We have discovered that it isn't a list of moral directions, tasks for us to fulfil or ideas for good living for us to aspire to. They are impossible demands, because they demand us to be perfect. And then Jesus tells so to go into the iner room and pray.. and the prayer he gives us is the Lord's Prayer.  The Lord's prayer is short of effusive praise, has no real requests for persoal stuff, doesn't mention people who are ill or have needs, doesn't pray for world peace or justice. God is Father whose name is holy. We pray his kingdom to come. We pray that on this earth his will may be done. We ask for just enough - bread for the morning ... that is just to get us tomorrow. Then we acknowledge that we need to be forgiven, but that we can only be forgiven if we are selves are willing to forgive. That's a significant couple of sentences which is amplified and reinforced by what Jesus says aft...

Don't just do something, sit there  Jesus said, “But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And here we have to centre of gravity of the Sermon on the Mount. If you want to change the world you might want to join a political party, a religion, or some pressure group. Then you will have an agenda, a gola and be concerned with success. Christianity, or rather the established denominations of the Church (which may not be that closely related to Christian faith!)  has played that game. Jesus has no manifesto for changing the world. Because we can only change the world when we ourselves are thoroughly renewed, growing up into Christ and have the mind of Christ. Then we won't give too hoots about getting political power or being a focus group or a pressure group. We will simply life holy lives, and that really will change the world. And get us into trouble and bring on perse...

Travelling in is the only way out......  Jesus said, " Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matthew 6.1 Christianity involves practice. But the kind of practice you need to play the piano... not as performance before an audience but, preferably, in a sound proofed room! The practice we all need to be committed to is the practice of prayer, not simply as the way in which a professional practices their profession - it's their job after all - but also, and more importantly, as a daily commitment to deepening our understanding, becoming more and more familiar, more and more ingrained in prayer and letting deep prayer be part of ur lives. Please note I did not say we have to get "better" at it! There is just prayer, there isn't "better" and "worse" prayer. Any practice of prayer is a universe away from no practice at all. So let...

 It's OK... just be perfect... I have one word to sum up the Sermon on the Mount so far... (and we're just getting to the end of the first of its 3 chapters today [Matthew 5]): OUTRAGEOUS To be blessed I must be spiritually poor, in mourning, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, be merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker and persecuted. No pressure then, just sit back and be blessed. Oh and then don't simply obey the Law, let's make it even harder... don't even get angry,  don't have lustful ideas, don't promise, oh, and love your enemies. It just gets better and better. Be lights in the world... salty lights and by the way, you have to be more holy than the saints, well, the pharisees anyway. So, to put it quite simply, be perfect like your Father in heaven. Well, thanks Jesus, why didn't you say so in the first place? I'll be perfect then. OUTRAGEOUS What is Jesus trying to do? I've done my best, well sometimes, now and again, ok, very occa...

Do not resist...  Jesus said, You have heard that they were told,   “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”   But what I tell you is this:   Do not resist those who wrong you.   If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn and offer him the other also.   If anyone wants to sue you and takes your shirt,   let him have your cloak as well.   If someone in authority presses you into service for one mile,   go with him two.   Give to anyone who asks;   and do not turn your back on anyone who wants to borrow. Matthew 5.38-42 Revised New English Bible This is the last but one of Jesus' 5 "antitheses" in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus says, " They were told, but I say to you..." A meditation... It is outrageous. Jesus, do you  really expect the abused just to not resist? Jesus, do you really want the downtrodden to keep turning the other cheek? Yeh, just give it all away... Just walk that extra mile. Yep, it's yours, borrow.....

  But I say to you.... 5 times in Matthew 5, the first chapter of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "But I say to you." These are are called the "antitheses" by commentators and they each follow Jesus quoting from the Law. The five occasions are 5.21 “You have heard that people were told in the past, ‘Do not commit murder; anyone who does will be brought to trial.’"  5.27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’" 5.33 “You have also heard that people were told in the past, ‘Do not break your promise, but do what you have vowed to the Lord to do.’" 5.37 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’" and 5.43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your friends, hate your enemies.’" To each of these "You have heard ..." Jesus says, "But I say to you..."   "Don't just not kill or murder.... don't even be angry. Don't just not commit adultery, don't ...