A Little Encouragement

A few of you have committed to memorizing the Sermon. More have decided to be purposeful about dwelling in the words of Jesus' sermon daily. I wonder how many of you have already fallen behind. You planned to have more memorized. You have failed to meet your daily commitment.

I want to encourage you...you can do this. If you've fallen behind, that's not the end of the world. Today would be a good day to start over. You can do this!

An important component to making Scripture a centerpiece of your walk is the belief that Jesus' words will make a difference in your life. Believing that you ought to read the bible is not as important or impacting as believing that God will use his Scriptures to transform your life.

So let me encourage you to start again today. Allow Jesus' words to work their way into the depths of your heart and mind. I promise, you will not regret it!

You Are

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Why have I always received Jesus' words, "You are the light of the world," as a burden to bear? When I read these words, I feel sort of like the prodigal son...working out the details of my apology, prepared to beg God to allow me to live in the servant quarters. I clearly do not deserve to live in the mansion with the Father. I haven't been a very bright light. And he told me that I am supposed to be the light of the world!

It's true. I am supposed to hear these words of Jesus, and go be light...be more purposeful about my presence and influence in this world. But what I typically skip over is the honor and joy found in Jesus' declaration. "You are the light of the world," is a declaration! The Light (capital L) calls us sinners the light (lowercase l) of the world! Unbelievable!

Today, I commit to be what He has already declared that I am. And I gladly receive this call with joy, absent of burden or unfair expectation...full of constant surprise over His kindness toward me.

So, how is memorizing the sermon going for you? Anyone? Anyone?

Blessed

There are lots of ways to read and receive the first statements from the Jesus' sermon (what we call the Beatitudes). Here are two ways that I tend to reflect on them:

1.) With the way my brain is wired, it is important for me to reflect on the language of blessing in the beatitudes. If I'm not careful (and perhaps you are like me), I will treat these statements as only another list of characteristics to achieve, and good works to perform. So I must be intentional about first accepting Jesus' words as good news. He has seen us. He knows our struggles. He knows that both the highs and lows of life, even the life that is pursuing God, can feel hopeless at times. And he now offers us hope...a promise that our condition will find blessing in his kingdom. Yes, it is possible that Jesus' first words to the crowd were not harsh criticism, or overwhelming demand...but loving blessings!

2. As I whisper these promises of blessing from Jesus, I find myself making an internal commitment to be a blessing to other people too. When I rehearse his words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," I find myself adding something like, "and I will seek to be a blessing to those who are broken, undone, and in need." "Blessed are those who mourn," becomes, "I will seek to be a blessing to the people I meet who are sad, hurt deeply by loss, and struggling to move through their present pain." So these words full of blessing and promise become a request: Lord, as you have so freely poured your love and blessings into my life...so make me a blessing to your world!

So, as you repeat over and over again Jesus' beatitudes, what rises to the surface? Do you find that one theme or one phrase has special meaning to you? Is there a blessing, encouragement, or command that especially rings true?

Deeper

We recently began a new teaching series at Campus Church centered on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). If you were at Campus last week, then you received my invitation to join me in memorizing Jesus' sermon. Since a number of you have committed to do this, in some form, I've decided it would be helpful to start a blog that will give us space to share insights and reflections about the sermon along the way.

For some of you, memorizing the entire sermon, word for word, is impossible. That's okay. The point of this exercise is to immerse our hearts and minds more deeply in the words and ways of Jesus. We believe that this kind of rehearsing of his words will lead to blessed transformation in our lives. If you cannot remember every word, then perhaps you can choose the words and phrases that are most meaningful to you, or most challenging to to you...and commit them to memory.

Some of you may want to find a partner or two who will join you in this commitment. You may find that memorizing in community brings a helpful sense of accountability, as well as added insight into the words being remembered. And, though it doesn't sound very spiritual, some of us are more consistent and committed when a small dose of competition is included!

I will write at least one article each week (which may prove more challenging than memorizing the sermon!) through the end of March. Each article will reflect on the passages we have covered the previous Sunday. If you miss a Sunday, or would like to participate but do not attend Campus, you can find a recording of each sermon here: www.campuschurch.org/home. You are invited to comment, sharing how the memorization is going for you, what ways the sermon is challenging you, and what God is whispering in your ear as you dive deeper into his words.

Since we started this series two weeks ago, I'm already behind! So, I'll write a bit about memorizing the beatitudes tomorrow. Thank you for joining me on this little journey. May God fill your mind and heart with his words often in the coming days!