Are you turned off by religion?
You're not alone. Jesus was no fan either. In his seminal sermon, Jesus addresses life in the Kingdom of God. Jesus paints a picture that looks starkly different from how many perceive today's American Church. Did Jesus call us to a life of enculturated religion or did he intend something different?
Salt and Light- Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount
is a 43-day journey through Jesus' best-known sermon. It provides an in-depth study of the Gospel of Matthew chapters five, six, and seven, with personal observations, applications, and devotional suggestions from the author. It explores how the entirety of scripture shines a light on Jesus' words, and how the culture, environment, and circumstances of Christ's world reveal clues as to their meaning.
In this study, the author asks questions that are increasingly relevant for today's American Church:
If Jesus is the inspiration for our faith why don't we look more like him?
Do we look more like Jesus or our church culture, secular culture, political leaders, and friends?
Who was Jesus addressing in this sermon and what role should it play in our lives today?
What are the qualities that Jesus tells us that God will bless? Are these essential qualities demonstrated by most American Christians?
What does Jesus say our purpose is?
How should we read and apply scripture in our lives?
What does Jesus tell us about God's Law and Ethics in the Kingdom of God?
If we found ourselves on that hillside listening to Jesus what group would we likely stand with?
What is "the narrow gate" and how can we strive to enter it?
How should a follower of Jesus interact with cultural, political, racial, and economic ideology?
Have we lost sight of the foundational message of the Kingdom that Jesus taught and how can we recover his vision?
Are we following in the footsteps of the early Church and how they sought to establish the Kingdom of God, that Jesus preached, or are we focused on establishing a different Kingdom?
On issues where we differ, what role should grace, mercy, patience, and love play in our interactions?
Jesus' words provide hope for today's troubled world. Additionally, they should leave us uncomfortable, whether we see ourselves as conservative, liberal, post-modern, or traditional.
​​​​​​​This study is for anyone who wants to grasp what it really means to follow Jesus. You may be comfortable in your church, be questioning your faith, or be on a journey through deconstruction. Your experience with Church may seem like a betrayal of a faith you once loved and you may want to return to the basics of a simpler faith. Whatever your situation you are invited to sit with Jesus and reimagine what it means to thrive in the Kingdom of God.