The Sermon on the Mount
JESUS MAFA. The Sermon on the Mount, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48284 [retrieved February 11, 2022]. Original source: http://www.librairie-emmanuel.fr (contact page: https://www.librairie-emmanuel.fr/contact).
Jesus and the Crowds! This is where God’s secret for the world is revealed. But it is not the size of the crowd that inspired Jesus…. It was their sorrow and hunger that moved him.
C.S. Song
C.S. Song
Rest in My Wings
Don’t be afraid, I’m holding you close in the darkness.
…
So rest in my wings and put all your fears to flight.
Tho you be burdened, I will cradle you deep in my nest.
Tho you be weary, my wings will enfold you in rest.
Tho you be desert, my rivers will flow deep inside.
Tho you be barren, I’ll fill out your womb with new life
Tho you be orphaned, I’ll always be here at your side.
Tho you be empty, I’ll bring forth new fruit on the vine.
Tho you be thirsty, you’ll drink from the well of my side.
Tho you be hungry, the finest of bread I’ll provide.
Colleen Fulmer
Don’t be afraid, I’m holding you close in the darkness.
…
So rest in my wings and put all your fears to flight.
Tho you be burdened, I will cradle you deep in my nest.
Tho you be weary, my wings will enfold you in rest.
Tho you be desert, my rivers will flow deep inside.
Tho you be barren, I’ll fill out your womb with new life
Tho you be orphaned, I’ll always be here at your side.
Tho you be empty, I’ll bring forth new fruit on the vine.
Tho you be thirsty, you’ll drink from the well of my side.
Tho you be hungry, the finest of bread I’ll provide.
Colleen Fulmer
Imaging the Word An Arts and Lectionary Resource, Volume 1
Spiritual Practices: Breath Prayer
Overview
The crowd came out to see Jesus, to hear him, and to be healed and restored by him. They pressed in close to him, striving to touch him. Each one who managed to reach out and touch Jesus were healed and restored.
Sometimes we have issues and challenges in our life that need a supernatural intervention by Jesus. Like the crowd gathered around him, we need to push through the distractions, push through the barriers, push through the challenges, and reach out and touch Jesus. Once we truly touch him and experience him, we will never be the same. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, I want to touch you
Overview
The crowd came out to see Jesus, to hear him, and to be healed and restored by him. They pressed in close to him, striving to touch him. Each one who managed to reach out and touch Jesus were healed and restored.
Sometimes we have issues and challenges in our life that need a supernatural intervention by Jesus. Like the crowd gathered around him, we need to push through the distractions, push through the barriers, push through the challenges, and reach out and touch Jesus. Once we truly touch him and experience him, we will never be the same. That is what this breath prayer is about.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, I want to touch you
Exploring the Text: Blessings and woes
In Luke’s telling of Jesus’ teaching here, we see a contrast between those Jesus says are blessed and those who are not. As we read through these, everything seems backwards. He says that the poor, the hungry, those who week, and those who are excluded are the ones who are blessed. The rich, the full, the joyful, and the accepted are those who are to be pitied. From our perspective, these seems completely backwards. We pity those who Jesus says are blessed and we celebrate those who Jesus says are to be pitied. If we were to choose, we would want to be counted with those Jesus says are to be pitied.
Jesus sees things very differently than we do. We look at the immediate, he looks at the big picture. We look the short term; he looks at eternity. Maybe we need to abandon our viewpoint and adopt his. If we really trust him, this is not a big step. It makes sense to trust his viewpoint and what he says about us more than our viewpoint and what we or others say about us.
In Luke’s telling of Jesus’ teaching here, we see a contrast between those Jesus says are blessed and those who are not. As we read through these, everything seems backwards. He says that the poor, the hungry, those who week, and those who are excluded are the ones who are blessed. The rich, the full, the joyful, and the accepted are those who are to be pitied. From our perspective, these seems completely backwards. We pity those who Jesus says are blessed and we celebrate those who Jesus says are to be pitied. If we were to choose, we would want to be counted with those Jesus says are to be pitied.
Jesus sees things very differently than we do. We look at the immediate, he looks at the big picture. We look the short term; he looks at eternity. Maybe we need to abandon our viewpoint and adopt his. If we really trust him, this is not a big step. It makes sense to trust his viewpoint and what he says about us more than our viewpoint and what we or others say about us.