Our Father ... The very act of prayer is an expression of our worldview, that God exists, and He cares.

Big Idea: Prayer transforms us by building our trust in a God who is there and cares, which gives us hope.

Notes:

• Our worldview (our answers to the ultimate questions) determines how we live.
• What we believe about God determines the answer to our other ultimate questions, which is why what we believe about is so important.
• Believing that God is there and cares gives us hope that we won't be stuck.
• Prayer gives us hope.

Sermon on the Mount - we are in part 1 of the Lord's prayer: it's not the words, but the heart that really matters.

Big Idea: The effectiveness of our prayers does not come from our ability to pray long or eloquently, but that they come from the heart.

Notes:

• The Pharisees used prayer to show off.
• The motives of why we pray count to the Lord.
• "Babbling" long prayers are not the goal.
• Authentic prayer comes from humility, being "poor in spirit".
• That sin can affect our prayers reminds us of our need for the gospel.

Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:27-32. Lust, adultery and divorce. These subjects can bring about a clearer understanding of the gospel.

Big Idea: Marriage is a blessing not only because of the relationship with our spouse, but also because it helps us understand the gospel.

Notes:

• Jesus tells us to not lose the main idea behind marriage, that it was intended to be "till death do you part".
• That means a lot of sacrifice and forgiveness which also means,
• We can get a glimpse of the love and grace we receive from the Lord.

Happy Father's Day!

Big Idea: God's love for us is bigger than we can imagine.

Notes:

• Absalom, did all he could to anger and destroy his father.
• David loved him through it all.

We take time to recognize and reflect on the news our of Kamloops, and explore the Sermon on the Mount to see how we can live rightly today in light of it.

Big Idea: Jesus shows us that living for the Lord is instrumental in convincing people of the power of the gospel.

Notes:

• The remains of 215 children found in the Kamloops Residential school has spark outrage and sorrow across Canada.
• The Church in Canada must use this time to seek a deeper understanding of its history in regards to these schools.
• Jesus teaches us that our actions must match our beliefs, based on the Lord's teaching.

Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:21-26

Big Idea: Anger is equal to murder?! Jesus shows us that God looks at and cares about our hearts.

Notes:

• Jesus shows us that the roots of the big sins (adultery, murder, etc.) begin in the heart (lust, anger, etc.).
• We can look like anything we want on the outside, but what God sees, the inside, is what we truly are.
• Jesus shows us that transformation begins with the heart, not on the outside.

Sermon On the Mount: What's Love Got To do With It?

Big Idea: Jesus takes us deeper into the meaning and purpose of the Law, and that no one can live up to it...but we have the Cross!

Notes:

• The Law became a stumbling block to the Pharisees as they relied on their self-righteousness, and therefore not the grace on the cross.
• The Law shows us that we cannot fulfill it.
• We need to rely on the righteousness of Jesus, instead of our own self-righteousness.

The Big Idea: God's love is infinite and therefore ever expanding. When we receive and experience it, we are called to give it away. That is our purpose.

Text: Matthew 5:13-16

Notes:

• During the pandemic we have a scapegoat for our anxieties and restlessness, namely: the virus, lockdowns and our altered way of life.
• After the pandemic is over, we will still have existential anxieties, but no longer the scapegoats.
• We must therefore prepare ourselves for after the pandemic by being secure in our purpose of life and it's meaning.
• Jesus says that we are to be salt and light.
• Salt is used a food preserver; we are to preserve the humankind from decay.
• Sin is a rejection of God (the moral law giver) so now everything is permissible, which leads to the detriment of our world.
• The solution is reconciliation with God, through forgiveness found at the cross.
• Having been reconciled to God, we are to add goodness (love, grace) to the world.
• We cannot do this because we are "good" but by showing people how someone broken can have hope.
• Being secure in our purpose can help us during the pandemic and after, as we search for meaning in all these things.

Big Idea: The reason one might be persecuted (faithfully living for Jesus) is the way to prepare for persecution, should it happen.

This final Beatitude is a tricky one, because the kind of persecution that Jesus is describing is not common for most Christian in "Christian-based" nations like Canada.

But the focus for us shouldn't be on purposely getting persecuted, but on the reason why one would get persecuted. Doing so will prepare us for the faithful living during times of persecution.

Big Idea: Blessedness is a result of action, in this case the action of being a peacemaker.

Usually when we think of "peace", we think about the absence of violence. But I think the peace that Jesus talks about is the based on the idea of "shalom", which is about harmony - living with others, our environment and ourselves in a way that produces justice and equity in the world.

We are blessed not simply because we are not violent, but when we actively share God's love around us.