This is my last blog before I go to Michigan for a minister's Seminar at Rochester College next week. I hope to blog remotely, but we'll see what kind of time I have. You know the usual stuff demands my time - coffee with fellow minister-types, golf with fellow minister-types, letting my sister-in-law cook for me...
The seminar is about preaching from the Sermon on the Mount. That can seem like a daunting task, taking Jesus most prolonged teaching text (and his most demanding) and finding what he would say to our culture and context. It should be worthwhile. I am preaching the Sermon on the Mount starting in August so I will be using what I gain here at this seminar. Here is a couple of excerpts from John Stott's work, in which he starts by giving a two-word summary phrase of the Sermon on the Mount : "Christian counterculture":
"For the essential theme of the whole Bible from beginning to end is that God's historical purpose is to call out a people for himself; that this people is a 'holy' people, set apart from the world to belong to him and to obey him; and that its vocation is to be true to its identity, that is, to be 'holy' or 'different' in all its outlook and behaviour." (p. 17)
"Thus the followers of Jesus are to be different--from both the nominal church and the secular world; different from both the religious and the irreligious. The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture. Here is a Christian value-system, ethical standard, religious devotion, attitude to money, ambition, life-style and networkd of relationships--all of which are totally at variance with those of the non-Christian world. And this Christian counter-culture is the life of the kingdom of God, a fully human life indeed but lived out under divine rule."
Have a great weekend! I will try to blog from Michigan, letting you all in on some of the great stuff I am learning!
5 comments:
Yeah, I know how those minister types can be pretty roudy sometimes being a son of a retired minister type I know the routine, heh heh heh.
Glad I got to meet you today before you leave town.
If you haven't read it, The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard is the most profound thing I have ever read on the Sermon on the Mount. It's also is one of the best books I've probably ever read on being a disciple.
Amanda, Good to meet you too. Thanks for the heads-up - It's sitting on my desk right now. I made it about half way through over the last few months but
other books took over my reading and.... well you know. I just picked up Mike Cope's book on the Sermon. It looks good as well.
I'm trying to gather a few different kind of resources on it.
I'll let you know the other stuff I come up with this week. I ended up having to fly out Monday morning. A real mess at the CS airport (weight restriction because of the heat, one runway torn up...). I ended up with
a voucher though. See ya.
Cindy, yah, yah, yah, I'll be at Livonia on Wed night for class! Staying at Yves and Rene's and golfing some more!
Hey -- how 'bout those Oilers!!!
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